A New Beginning
by Hunter Stag
Summary: The final chapter in the Aura Chronicles. Hunter comes to Alto Mare hoping to start over, but is the target for a final confrontation with Deoxys that may cost him his life. Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Chapter 1

The sun shone down brightly on Alto Mare as Hunter and Umbreon walked down the ferry ramp. Hunter looked around. The city was filled with old stone buildings, though a calm sea breeze and the gentle sound of the water lapping against the canal walls added to the ambience of the place. Hunter looked down at Umbreon. "What do you think?"

Umbreon smiled up at him and gave a positive "Umbre!"

They left the docks. As the two walked through the town, Hunter looked around. The streets were paved with cobblestones, a testament to the city's age. Townspeople walked here and there, going about their business. Hunter smiled. This would make a great place to live.

They came to a large plaza in front of the city's museum. Hunter found himself distracted by a pair of statues perched atop two high pillars. They were both reliefs of Pokémon, similar in the shape of their bodies. They had elegant, streamlined forms that were clearly designed for flight. Going over to the columns, Hunter looked around the bases until he could see a small plaque on each one. They each had a name on them, followed by the words GUARDIAN OF ALTO MARE. The names were Latios and Latias. Hunter brushed his hand over the plaques, then jerked upright as something brushed past him. Whirling, he didn't see anything. Nobody called "Sorry!" over their shoulder as they ran past him.

He looked down at Umbreon. "Can you find anything?"

Umbreon tilted its head into the air and began sniffing. It stopped a short time later, giving a negative, frustrated toss of the head. Hunter smiled and rubbed its ears, making the shadow fox give a small noise of pleasure.

He and Umbreon continued to walk through the town, along the back streets and the sidewalks on the sides of the canals. They went through shops, Hunter buying items and Pokémon food but also looking around for books about the town's history.

Finally finding one, he bought it and went to a small courtyard to sit down on a bench and read.

The book was highly interesting. It was filled with beautiful paintings and drawings of the town's two guardians. They kept popping up over and over again throughout the book. The book wasn't very long, but it mentioned something called the Soul Dew, and how it was said to contain the soul of one of the town's guardians, Latios.

_But there are supposed to be two…_ he thought. He jerked slightly as he again felt something invisible slide past him. Closing his eyes, he searched frantically but found nothing.

Something was stalking him, but for good or ill he didn't know.

He got up, placing the book in his backpack. Umbreon was standing next to a water faucet, looking at him pleadingly. Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He didn't know it was possible for Umbreon to give Teddiursa eyes. But it worked.

With a sigh the boy took hold of the handle and turned it.

Umbreon raised its head under the stream, breathing a relieved sigh as the cold, clear water rushed over its head. Hunter smiled. Turning the faucet off, he and Umbreon left the courtyard, going back to the museum plaza. People sat at the many tables set up around the area, chatting, eating, and relaxing. Hunter and Umbreon went into the museum, looking around at the town's ancient relics.

The museum was massive, and though Hunter wanted to see it all, he didn't have the time. He stuck to the big stuff, first going to a pair of skeletons on the floor. They were of a Kabutops and an Aerodactyl that had, according to the book he'd picked up, terrorized Alto Mare when the town was still in its infancy.

Moving on, Hunter came to a massive machine that made him stop in his tracks.

The machine was beautifully made; though its convoluted form made him skeptical as to how it ran.

A voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Hunter turned to find a short, rotund man with a bushy white beard standing next to him. The man looked at him. "Of course, its function doesn't do justice to its beauty."

"What is it?" Hunter asked, looking back up at the machine.

"This is what we call the DMA. The Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare."

"Shouldn't it be called the DMAM then?"

Choosing to ignore the fridge logic of that sentence, the man looked at him. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. I just came in on a ferry a little while ago."

The man grunted. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"The rest of my life. I'm planning on living here."

The man's eyes suddenly brightened. "Well, I think I've got just the place for you. If you're interested, come talk to me. I'll be in the boat shop. Look in a guidebook, it should tell you where that is."

He turned to go. Hunter called after him. "I never asked; what's your name?"

"Lorenzo," the man replied. "Yours?"

"Hunter. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Lorenzo said, and walked off.

Hunter and Umbreon went outside, though Hunter was ready to start looking for a Pokémon Center pretty soon. He picked a direction and was about to walk off that way when a more familiar voice stopped him.

"Well, well. Look who's here."

**FINALLY! IT'S HERE! After months of writing, I present the final story of "The Aura Chronicles"! Hope you all enjoy it! R and R!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Hunter grinned as he turned to see who it was. "Riley? Is that you?"

The Aura user nodded. "Yep. I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd be with Taren."

"No, he and the others are coming over. I'm thinking of living here now. I like it. It's very nice."

Riley nodded again. "That it is. I never got to see how good you were in a battle, you know."

Hunter smiled. "A battle against me? Really?"

"No time like the present," Riley said, taking a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarging it until it filled his hand.

Hunter nodded. "True." He looked at Umbreon. "Is it okay if I don't use you?"

Umbreon nodded. Hunter turned back to Riley, taking one of his own Poké Balls from his belt. He tossed it into the air. "Typhlosion, go!"

There was a bright flash of light and the Volcano Pokémon appeared and roared as the red spots on its back burst into flames that arced along its back.

Riley gave an amused "hmph." "Interesting choice." He threw his Poké Ball into the air. "Blaziken, go!"

That caught Hunter off guard. He'd expected Riley to use his Lucario, but he'd apparently been wrong.

There was another flash of light and a tall Pokémon appeared in front of Riley. It was mostly red, but had fierce blue eyes and a beaked mouth, in addition to bird claw-like hands and feet.

Riley smiled. "You sure you want to go through with this?"

Hunter smiled back. "Yeah, I'm sure. Now, let's do this!"

Riley pointed. "Blaziken, use Flamethrower!"

"Typhlosion, you use Flamethrower too!"

Both Pokémon let loose with massive jets of fire from their mouths. The two jets collided and exploded between the combatants. Typhlosion waited for the smoke to clear, which was sooner rather than later as Blaziken burst through the pall and hit Typhlosion with a Blaze Kick across the face.

The Volcano Pokémon barked in pain as Blaziken spun, its foot catching Typhlosion twice on opposite sides of its face.

"Typhlosion!" Hunter shouted. "Use Flamethrower again!"

Typhlosion let loose with a second jet of fire that Blaziken dodged. The Pokémon moved back to Riley, set in a fighting stance.

Hunter looked at Typhlosion worriedly. The Volcano Pokémon's face was bruised and some of its fur was scorched, but it looked alright. He decided to check. "How do you feel?"

Typhlosion turned and winked with one red eye. Hunter nodded. "Okay. Let's try something else." He pointed. "Quick Attack!"

Typhlosion vanished, then reappeared in front of Blaziken. Blaziken barely had time to spot it before Typhlosion hit it across the face with a massive swipe of one of its paws. Blaziken spun but managed to recover, sliding along the ground as it regained its footing.

Riley raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Your Typhlosion's pretty fast."

"Thanks."

Riley pointed again. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick again!"

Blaziken charged forward and did a spinning kick, one of its feet wreathed in flame as it twirled.

"Typhlosion, block!"

Typhlosion put its paw in the way of the attack, catching the flaming foot on its arm. It then pushed Blaziken away, upsetting its balance. Hunter pointed. "Typhlosion, Flame Wheel!"

Typhlosion shot forward, a circle of fire enwreathing its body before it slammed into Blaziken. Blaziken slid back across the plaza towards Riley.

Riley scowled. "Blaziken, Fire Blast!"

Hunter pointed. "Typhlosion, Dragon Rage!"

Typhlosion opened its mouth, a large ball of energy forming between its jaws as Blaziken fired a massive ball of fire from its mouth. Typhlosion let the Dragon Rage loose and the sphere hit the fireball in its center, causing a large explosion.

Typhlosion's ears pricked up. It would not be a repeat of last time. Blaziken leapt out of the smoke, one of its hands held forward, its claws aglow. Typhlosion jumped out of the way of the Scratch, dodging more swipes of Blaziken's claws.

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Typhlosion, use your own Scratch!"

Typhlosion's claws glowed and it met one of Blaziken's strikes in mid-swipe, the claws skating off of one another in a shower of sparks. Hunter smiled as Typhlosion's counterattack drove Blaziken backwards. Blaziken finally managed to jump out of the way, standing facing Typhlosion. Riley pointed. "Blaziken, Mega Kick!"

Blaziken darted forward, too fast for Typhlosion to react. One of its feet glowing blue, it swung its leg in a wide arc. The attack caught Typhlosion in the stomach, causing it to jerk forward and spit up a large amount of saliva.

"Now, Blaziken!" Riley yelled. "Sky Uppercut!"

Blaziken's fist began to glow and it swung upwards, catching Typhlosion on the cheek. The Fire Pokémon's skin rolled up into layers, squeezing one of its eyes shut as the attack connected.

They stood there, unmoving. Blaziken now had both of its feet on the ground to provide a more stable footing. Typhlosion's head was tilted at an angle as Blaziken's fist dug into its cheek.

_It'll be risky, but Typhlosion'll take a real beating at this distance._ Hunter pointed. "Typhlosion, Dragon Rage!"

Riley's eyes widened, but Typhlosion turned its head, Blaziken's fist still rolling up the skin on its cheek. Typhlosion opened its mouth, built up the Dragon Rage, and fired it.

A white flash of light and a cloud of smoke obscured both Pokémon and the shockwave spread out across the plaza.

When the smoke cleared, Blaziken was unconscious on the ground. It was smoking slightly from the attack. Typhlosion, scorched and bruised, stood above it, swaying on its feet.

Hunter reached out. "Come here, Typhlosion."

Typhlosion smiled against its swelling cheek, then took a step forward. And another, and another. It managed to take one last step before falling to its knees and then onto its face.

Hunter ran to it, rolling Typhlosion over. Looking into the Volcano Pokémon's closed eyes as he held its head in his arms, he smiled. "You were amazing, Typhlosion. Take a rest now."

He took out Typhlosion's Poké Ball and brought Typhlosion back into it in a red flash of light. He stood up and nodded to Riley. "Good battle. Almost had me there."

Riley smiled. "Yeah. I'll see you around. I'm staying in the city for a few days, so we'll see each other again."

Hunter nodded. "I look forward to it."

He turned and ran off down the street he'd picked earlier to find a Pokémon Center.

**Thought you ought to see a battle that Hunter's Pokemon can actually win. Anyway, R and R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Hunter sat in the waiting room of Alto Mare's Pokémon Center. It was carpeted and there were various comfortable chairs and couches, but that did little to ease Hunter's anxiety. Typhlosion had been hurt badly during the battle, despite winning. At the moment it was back in the medical ward. Hunter closed his eyes and could see it. Typhlosion was still unconscious, lying on a gurney that a Chansey had wheeled in. An oxygen mask covered its mouth and nose.

Hunter felt Umbreon's cold nose nudge his hand. He scratched the shadow fox behind the ears distractedly, looking towards the door that led into the rest of the Pokémon Center. Finally managing to tear his attention away, he looked out of the window. The lobby gave a grand view of Alto Mare's main canal. Gondolas and other kinds of boats, along with several people riding surfing Pokémon, moved to and fro on the water.

There was a chime from the door and Hunter turned. Typhlosion was running across the lobby towards him. Hunter smiled, got out of his chair and stood there, hoping that Typhlosion would stop before it sent them both tumbling to the ground.

He was wrong. Typhlosion tackled Hunter and knocked him off his feet.

Nurse Joy came up behind Typhlosion, though Hunter only caught glimpses of her due to Typhlosion's huge pink tongue licking his face. Nurse Joy laughed. "It looks like Typhlosion's happy to see you."

Hunter managed to smile between licks. "I'm happier to see that it's okay. Thank you, Nurse Joy."

She bowed. "You're welcome. Take care."

She went off back to the front desk, Hunter starting to laugh as Typhlosion kept licking his face. Finally, he managed to sit up, holding Typhlosion's head in his hands to keep the Volcano Pokémon away from him. Hunter laughed again. "I'm glad you're okay, Typhlosion. How do you feel?"

Typhlosion smiled. It was all the answer Hunter needed.

Hunter looked around. "We'll stay here the night and then go explore the city some more tomorrow. That okay with you two?" he asked, looking at Umbreon and Typhlosion.

Both nodded. Hunter turned back and hugged Typhlosion close to him. Typhlosion managed to worm its way free and then started licking Hunter's face again, knocking its trainer to the floor for the second time in minutes. Hunter could only laugh and struggle helplessly as Typhlosion licked his face repeatedly from chin to forehead.

The Pokémon Center wasn't that full. Hunter was given one of the larger, one-person rooms near the top floor. He sat on his bed, looking at all of his Pokémon as they settled down for the night. Charizard was curled up in the corner closest to Hunter's bed, watching its trainer and fellow Pokémon. Raichu and Umbreon jumped up onto Hunter's bed, lying down by his feet. Swellow sat in another corner, content. Typhlosion stretched out on the room's couch and Scyther sat against the wall, laying its head on its chest. Hunter smiled. They all deserved a vacation after what had happened before they'd gotten there.

He still vividly remembered the Aggron that had blocked their way while escorting Shaymin to its fellows. That Aggron had nearly killed them all, while under Deoxys's control. But that was in the past. They were in Alto Mare. Safe.

_For the moment,_ Hunter thought as he turned off the light via the switch next to his bed. He had closed his eyes and was about to try and go to sleep when he heard footsteps, muffled on the room's carpeting. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he saw Charizard standing at his bedside. The Dragon Pokémon cocked its head to one side. Hunter patted the side of its face. "I'm okay, Charizard. There's nothing to worry about."

Charizard seemed to accept this, giving Hunter's face a big, slow lick from chin to forehead as its way of saying goodnight, then going back to its corner. Hunter didn't bother wiping his face, instead just lying back on his pillow and falling asleep. He'd be ready if Deoxys came.

He hoped.

**I'll post another chapter because this one is so short.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hunter woke to sun shining through his window. None of the other Pokémon were awake, so he silently got up and went into the bathroom. In the mirror, he smiled. The saliva on his face had dried during the night, and now his hair was sticking up strangely in the front. He climbed into the shower and bathed, enjoying the pleasure of taking a hot bath again. Getting out, he toweled himself dry, then went into the room and dressed. Almost as soon as he pulled on his shoes, he felt a presence near him. He relaxed.

_Hello, Lucario._

_Hello,_ said his teacher, coming over to where Hunter was sitting on the bed and sitting down beside him. _How have you been?_

_Well. How are you doing with Arceus?_

_Arceus is…difficult, to say the least. It has its own duties, but it has ordered me to inform it whenever I contact you. It does not like you. It claims that you are a corrupting influence on me._

_Why?_ Hunter asked. _Just because I question how it uses its powers?_

_Yes, and it is not your place to do so. It saved the world once, you know._

_Really? I never heard that._

_Look it up. This town must have a library somewhere._

Hunter nodded. _Taren and his family are coming._

_Truly?_ Lucario asked, smiling. _He's grown, hasn't he?_

_You've been watching him too?_

_Yes. Your son's first experience of the food-flinging was quite amusing. He nearly fell backwards over a table._

Hunter snorted with laughter, then composed himself. Beside them, Umbreon's ear twitched as it dreamed.

_Have you seen anything that could point to where Deoxys is?_

Lucario shook his head. _Not even Arceus can see it. And its domain is the largest and the most important._

_Can't it contact Dialga and Palkia? _

_Each of the dragon trio has its own domain. They do not like to leave them. And Arceus does not want to go near Giratina. Ever since the Alamos Town incident, it has been irritable._

_It hasn't dragged anything else into the conflict that it shouldn't, has it?_

Lucario shook his head. _No. But Deoxys is far more powerful than you. I would suggest contacting every Pok__émon that you have ever had contact with. _

_Even Mewtwo?_

_Mewtwo would be an exceptional help. And secondly,_ Lucario said as it rose and went to the center of the room, _work. On. Your. Skills._

These last four words were punctuated with stern jabs of the paw towards him. Hunter nodded. "I will." he said aloud. "Don't worry."

Lucario snorted. _It's always when you say 'Don't worry' that I worry the most._

He disappeared. Hunter smiled, then got up. He walked over to the room's door, looking at all of his still-sleeping Pokémon. He'd be back by the end of the day. He was sure they wouldn't get into any trouble.

He left the room, then the building, going down to the docks. Following his guidebook to Lorenzo's boat shop, he walked in on the old man as he was finishing a boat. Lorenzo looked up and smiled at the sight of him entering. "Ah, Hunter! Come to ask me about my offer?"

"Not at the moment. I was wondering, are there any isolated, uninhabited islands nearby?"

Lorenzo nodded. "There is _one_. A small one. Why?"

"I want to practice battling there. I'd like someplace quiet where I wouldn't disturb anybody."

Lorenzo nodded again. "I see. Wait here."

He left the shop to go somewhere. A few minutes after he left, a tall girl with brown hair walked in. "Grandpa?" she asked.

"He stepped out," Hunter replied.

The girl nearly shrieked, but managed to clamp her hand over her mouth. She looked at Hunter. "Who are you?"

"Did your grandfather mention a teenager that he met at the museum yesterday?"

She nodded.

"That was me."

"Oh," she said. "What's your name?"

"Hunter. Yours?"

"Bianca. I'm an artist."

Hunter smiled. "What a coincidence! So am I."

He opened his backpack and took out his sketchpad and they sat down next to each other, showing each other their drawings. Bianca turned page after page of his sketchbook. "These are really good. Were you close by with these?"

"Most of the Pokémon in them are mine. The Shaymin and Pidgeotto aren't, the Buizel was, but mostly they're all the ones I currently own."

Biana smiled. "They're really good, like I said. Do you draw often?"

"I haven't gotten much time, lately. Places to go, people to see."

Bianca nodded. "Well, if you ever need a place to stay other than the Pokémon Center, Grandpa got paid enough lately to buy a little flat next door to our house. You can come over and take a look around, if you're interested."

"Is there a catch?"

"Yeah, but I think he wants to tell you that himself."

The rumbling of a boat motor made them both look up. Lorenzo waited outside in a motorboat. Hunter got up. "Nice meeting you, Bianca."

"Likewise," she called after him.

As Lorenzo drove the boat out towards the island, he looked at Hunter. "So, you've met Bianca, I see."

Hunter nodded. "She's nice. And pretty."

Lorenzo smiled. "Well, she probably told you about the flat, right?"

Hunter nodded again. "What's the catch, though?"

Lorenzo turned back to the bow, watching the island grow closer. "You know about the two guardians of Alto Mare, don't you?"

"Yeah. But aren't they just legends?"

"No. They're real. They're hidden from the rest of the city, but now there's only one. Latias, the girl."

"What happened?"

"A pair of girls from something called Team Rocket appeared. They wanted the Soul Dew-our town's source of water-to use to rule Alto Mare. They were arrested, but while fighting them and saving the town, Latios died. His sister lived, though."

"So, how is this related to the flat?"

"Latias has been feeling very sad since her brother died. A boy named Ash was in the town at the time and they became good friends, but soon he had to leave. You can stay in the apartment as long as you visit Latias regularly."

Hunter nodded. "Of course. I'd be happy to."

Lorenzo smiled as the boat cruised to a stop in the shallows of the island's beaches. Hunter jumped from the boat, landing on the dry pebble beach. He turned. "Don't bother coming back, I can find my own way."

Lorenzo looked skeptical, but drove off. Hunter turned and walked towards the trees on the edge of the island's beach. He came to a large clearing with a large rock formation on one side. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to test the limits of his power.

**I had to brainstorm a little myself in order to come up with all the stuff he's going to try in the next chapter. R and R!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Start with the basics,_ he thought. Conjuring two Aura Spheres in his hands, he threw them into the air, then focused on the Aura inside of them. The two spheres suddenly came to a stop as Hunter clenched his hands. The boy grinned, then sent them speeding towards the ground. They impacted and exploded, sending a shockwave of dust out towards him. When the dust settled, Hunter's grin hadn't faded. That was one thing down.

Turning, he jumped up to the top of the rock formation. The peak of it was flat and warmed by the sun. Hunter sat down and began to meditate, thinking of other ways that he could use his abilities.

He brainstormed. He didn't know how long he sat there, thinking of ways he could use his powers to fight against Deoxys.

A few hours later, he had come up with various ideas. Jumping down from the rock, he turned and faced it. Willing the Aura in the surrounding environment to come to him, he focused it all into small needles of Aura that hung in the air around him, like a Poison Sting attack frozen in midair and blue-shifted. He thrust his arms forward, the needles flying at the rock. They impacted, sticking in the stone.

_That's effective against soft targets…_ he thought, _But what about things like Rock Pok__émon?_ He didn't want to have to rely on an Aura staff and his spheres again, like he had against Aggron, so he worked his consciousness into the Aura and willed the energy to be released from its impromptu container.

It did so, and violently. There was a loud _boom_ and pieces of rock flew everywhere, along with a large cloud of dust. Coughing, Hunter peered through the smoke and his jaw dropped.

Though the rock formation was still standing, there was an enormous hole in it. Hunter blinked, then grinned again.

But now it was time for the next thing. An Aura Sphere was powerful enough, but what if he had to sustain the attack? Firing Aura Spheres rapidly wouldn't be enough if his opponent attacked him with an energy blast that he couldn't dodge. He conjured an Aura Sphere and held it in his hand, looking into it before dispelling it into a small coalescence of energy. He then rolled that energy together, and with a loud shout fired it from his hands. The resulting blast was a long, thin beam, but it did not last for long.

That answer was simple. He'd have to pull Aura from either himself or the environment in order to sustain the attack or make it more powerful. Or even both.

He repeated the readying process and then fired it again, this time channeling Aura from his body into the stream. The result was a thick beam of Aura that he could sustain for as long as his body allowed him.

But he wasn't keen to test that part, so he cut off the flow of energy. As soon as he did this, he fell back onto his rear. Breathing heavily, he bit his lip. _That's a dangerous one. If I let it go on for too long, it could kill me. But it won't._

He decided to take out his backpack and eat something to recover his strength. As he began eating, he kept thinking. What else could he use his powers for?

After eating, he'd come up with a few other uses. Focusing Aura into his fingertips, he stood in the center of the clearing before expelling the Aura, letting it extend to a certain point. The result was ten large tendrils of blue energy extending from his fingers that were extremely versatile. They were powerful enough to smash through rock, yet delicate enough to pick up something without damaging it. He tested these, just to make sure.

Dispelling the energy, Hunter wanted to try one last thing. It was undoubtedly going to be the most dangerous thing he'd attempted.

He closed his eyes then delved deep within himself. He examined his body, the cells that made up his body, the atoms that made up those cells. Everything inside of him, he became one with. When he was sure that he had forgotten nothing, he suddenly imagined himself in a different place.

He opened his eyes and saw that instead of on the ground, where he had been, he was now on top of the rock formation. Hunter grinned.

_That's all I can think of, but I think it'll be enough._ He closed his eyes and repeated the process, envisioning the Pokémon Center in his mind. He imagined himself there.

To the eyes of a casual observer, Hunter appeared to have vanished into thin air.

Appearing outside his door in the Pokémon Center, he quietly turned the doorknob. He'd only been gone for a few hours, so he hoped fervently that his Pokémon hadn't woken up yet.

The room was dark, as he'd left it. The only thing missing was sound. The room was silent except for the sound of Hunter's footsteps and his breathing. He finally came to the center of the room. Looking around, he saw nothing. He closed his eyes.

He then opened them again with a loud cry of surprise as something tackled him from the side. After thudding against the floor, Hunter screwed his eyes shut but then opened them again when he saw what was attacking him. He smiled and laughed as Umbreon lay on top of him, licking its trainer's face happily.

Hunter scratched Umbreon behind the ears and after giving his face a sound licking, Umbreon backed off. Sitting up, Hunter looked around as his other Pokémon came out of the shadows. Typhlosion itself had been standing beside the door, unseen by him. It had been facing the wall, its dark fur blending in with the shadows. Hunter smiled. "So," he said, wiping his face with his hand. "I guess this means you guys are a bit miffed with me for not taking you along?"

There was a loud array of snorts. Umbreon then jumped back onto him, pressing its paws into his shoulders as it started to lick his face again. It was soon imitated by Raichu, Typhlosion, and Charizard.

The sounds of wet slurping and the laughter of a teenager filled the room as Hunter was thoroughly reminded by his Pokémon of how much they had missed him.

***

That evening, Hunter and his Pokémon were on the small rooftop garden of the Pokémon Center. Swellow, Charizard, and Scyther flew around in the air, happy at being free to fly around again after being cramped up in the Pokémon Center all day. Hunter lay on his back, watching them with a smile on his face. Umbreon lay with its head on his chest, watching the spectacle as well.

Hunter smiled. _Great place. I like it here._

He sat up and began taking food from his backpack. Unloading six bowls and a small amount of human and Pokémon food, Hunter and his party ate dinner. As Hunter tore into a sandwich, he looked out at Alto Mare at night. Yellow light bathed the canals in molten gold and shone warmly off of the old stone buildings.

_I'll call Taren in the morning,_ he thought. _He'll love it here, I know it!_

Finishing his sandwich, he picked up a second as his Pokémon, who had finished their meals, gathered around him to relax. Biting into his sandwich, he looked around at his party. They'd all come so far in the months that they'd known each other. They were all tenacious and brave, and meant as much to him as Taren and his family did. They deserved to settle down even more than he did. He didn't place himself in danger whenever they met another trainer on the road who wanted to battle. He didn't fight against impossible odds to save someone that he trusted with all of his heart.

In a sense, they were braver than he was.

Hunter smiled, swallowed his mouthful of sandwich, then took another bite. He was intensely proud of them all.

That night it was almost like they were back on the road. Hunter and all of his Pokémon (in Charizard's case, just its head) slept under Charizard's wings that night. Hunter smiled before he went to sleep.

_I just want to settle down. And when Deoxys is gone, this'll be permanent._

**Just for future reference, all of these abilities will be making a reappearance in the last battle, except for the teleporting. R and R! Hope you're enjoying it!**_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Hunter's eyes were, again, the first to flutter open that morning. He could see the sun through Charizard's wings, the light blue-shifted by the Dragon Pokémon's blue wing membrane. He reached out and picked up Raichu, depositing it on his chest. Jerked half-awake from the motion, Raichu looked up at him sleepily, smiling when it saw who it was.

Hunter smiled and scratched Raichu behind the ears. "Morning, buddy. Sleep well?"

Raichu nodded and reached up to lick Hunter's cheek.

Hunter continued petting Raichu until the electric mouse had gone back to sleep. After this happened, Hunter put Raichu down and crawled out from under Charizard's wing. He stopped as there was a rustling noise and a breath of hot air on the back of his neck. He turned to see Charizard looking at him, nose-to-nose. Hunter pressed a finger to his lips and mouthed a sentence to it.

_"I'm going to see somebody. I'll be back soon._"

Charizard gave a small shrug, then licked Hunter's face from chin to forehead as a mute "Hurry back".

As Hunter jumped from the roof and into an isolated alley, he wiped the saliva from his face. Walking out into the main thoroughfares of Alto Mare, his mind was drawn to whatever was stalking him. It was most likely Latias, though exactly _why_ she was interested in him was a mystery to him.

As he turned at a corner and began to walk along the side of the canal towards Lorenzo's house, he felt something brush by him. Faster than the eye could follow he lashed out his hand, catching something that then pulled, sending him into the water.

As Hunter surfaced, coughing, he looked up. Again, nothing there. A search with his second sight revealed nothing as well. Splashing the water in frustration, he climbed out and kept walking, trusting the sunny day to dry him quickly.

Lorenzo came to the door a short time after he knocked, and smiled upon seeing who it was. "Ah, Hunter! Have you thought about my proposal?"

"Yes, I have. I'll do it. When can I move in?"

"Anytime you want." Lorenzo replied. "The place is already furnished. I'm sure you and your Pokémon, if you have any, will be very comfortable there."

Hunter smiled and shook Lorenzo's hand. "Thank you for doing this. I don't want to think about how long it might have taken me to find a place of my own without you."

"It's nothing. I hope to see you soon."

"I'll probably be back in a little while with my Pokémon. Thank you again, Lorenzo."

"You're welcome."

Hunter left and ran back to the Pokémon Center. Jumping over the canals he managed to make better time, and was back on the roof with a few well-placed jumps. As he landed on the top of the Pokémon Center, he again felt something brush him.

_If this is Latias,_ he thought, _why is it following me? And if it's Deoxys, why not fight me here?_

He didn't bother trying to grab it, instead taking his party's Poké Balls from his belt and extending his arms. "Okay guys, in you go."

His Pokémon (still asleep) disappeared inside the balls with red flashes of light. Hunter replaced them on his belt and then left the Pokémon Center the normal way.

**I'm getting around to him meeting Latias, don't worry. And I'll also post another chapter because this one's so short. R and R!**


	7. Chapter 7

Hunter turned the key in the door lock and there was a muffled _click_. He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

The room beyond was dark except where the light from outside came in through the door. Hunter stepped in carefully, then reached for a light. Moving his hand along the wall, he found a switch and flipped it, illuminating his new home.

The place was nice and open, the entertaining rooms having no doors, merely gaps in the walls. The dining room/kitchen/living room was easily the largest room in the place, the dining room table being out next to the kitchen counter. The living room part of the space was three couches arranged in a three-sided square with a coffee table in the middle. There was a TV built into the wall. There was no bedroom on the ground level. Hunter found some stairs, went up them, and found a spacious bedroom with a video phone. He smiled to himself and didn't jump when Lorenzo's voice came from behind him. "What do you think of it?"

Hunter turned. "It's really nice. I like it."

"Feel free to stay for as long as you like. But remember the rest of the deal."

"I do. Don't worry."

Lorenzo nodded and left, leaving Hunter to get acquainted with the place.

Hunter went downstairs when he saw that Lorenzo had gone, and released his Pokémon. They all looked around in puzzlement at where they were. Hunter indicated the house with a sweep of his arm. "This is our new home, everyone. Let's try and keep it in one piece, okay?"

There was a chorus of affirmative noises. Hunter smiled and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV. He flicked through to the news and as the others settled down around him either on the couches or on the floor, he nestled down in the cushions.

A few hours later the doorbell rang. Hunter got up and opened it, allowing Bianca inside. She was laden with armfuls of grocery bags and smiled at him as she came in. "Grandpa thought that you could use some food."

"You want some help with those?" Hunter asked as he followed Bianca inside. He didn't wait for an answer, telekinetically slipping several of the bags off of her arms. He carried them over to the kitchen table and set them down, Bianca doing the same.

She looked at him. "Thanks. How did you do that?"

Hunter looked at his hand, unconsciously seeing the blue fire shifting around it. "I'm…a bit out of the ordinary. It's a long story."

Bianca looked across the room at Hunter's Pokémon, who were watching them. Hunter glared at them all. "What are you guys looking at?"

They jerked suddenly and turned back around to the TV. Hunter smiled regardless. "They don't mean to stare. They've never seen you before, so they're curious."

Bianca smiled back. "It's okay. Can we stay for a while and just…talk?"

Hunter nodded. "Of course. It's not a problem."

They put the groceries in the fridge and then sat down at the table, talking about various things. Sketching, plans for the future. Eventually, the talk turned to Hunter's powers again.

"Like I said, it's a long story."

"I've got time."

Hunter reached out a hand. "It'll be easier if I just show you everything."

He pressed his hand down on hers. Bianca gasped as hundreds of images from his other adventures up until now flashed in front of her eyes. When Hunter let go, she breathed in deeply and looked at him, amazed. "How did you get this?"

"I don't know. Until I met Lucario, I never even knew I had it or that it even existed."

"So, why did you come to Alto Mare?"

"I wanted to start over. The house that I lived in before had too many bad memories in it. It had some good ones, but they were few and far between."

Bianca gently placed a hand on his. "Do you think you can forget all of it?"

"I don't _want_ to forget. Lessen the impact, yes, but forget it completely, no."

The clock chimed. Bianca jumped up. "I should probably go. Grandpa will wonder where I am."

She turned to leave, but Hunter, his mouth moving faster than his brain, stopped her. "Bianca!"

She turned at the door. "Yes?"

"I…I was wondering…if you'd…maybe, er, show me around the city later?"

She smiled. "Of course! Anytime?"

Hunter nodded. "Yeah. Anytime's good."

She waved goodbye and shut the door.

Hunter turned to the wall and began banging his head on it.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he thought to himself with each bang. _Why? Why did you have to go and open up your big mouth? _He straightened. _It's not going to help me kicking myself. I'll just have to deal with it._

He walked back into the living room and sat down among the Pokémon, only to jump up again at hearing one of them whistling. He turned to Swellow, who was singing a merry tune that sounded like a love song. Hunter grabbed a pillow and hit it upside the head, shutting it up. "I don't need your help with this, Swellow!"

Swellow wasn't a Pokémon that would take that lying down. It whacked its trainer over the head with its wing, then hopped up on the couch's back, where it started to sing the song again.

Hunter glared up at it, then threw the pillow. It missed and bounced harmlessly off of the wall. Swellow smirked at him and chuckled to itself as its trainer plunked himself back down on the couch, sulking.

Gradually the others started laughing too.

Hunter covered his ears. "I talk to _one girl…_" he growled, "and you guys make such a big deal out of it!"

They all laughed louder, then stopped and got closer to him. Hunter struggled not to smile as they started rubbing themselves against him, apologizing for the teasing. Hunter sighed and started petting them.

The place was only two-story, so that night they were up on the roof. Hunter lay on his back, watching the stars. As the roof was devoid of furniture there was plenty of room for the others to follow suit. All seven of them lay in a circle, looking up at the sky. No one said anything. After a few hours, Hunter yawned.

_One more night,_ he thought to himself. _One more night under the stars._

He looked at everyone else. "You guys okay with sleeping out here tonight?"

They all nodded and soon they were all together, all in the crook of Charizard's body. The dragon Pokémon's body heat made blankets a moot point, all of the others gathering around Hunter. Typhlosion came up to Hunter and smiled, nuzzling its trainer. Hunter smiled back and then started laughing as Typhlosion began licking Hunter's cheeks with its huge tongue. A short time later there was a final slurp that rolled the skin on Hunter's cheek up into layers and tilted his head almost ninety degrees. Hunter laughed, wiping his face as he patted Typhlosion, who lay down and curled up beside him. Hunter lay back against Charizard, closing his eyes and smiling.

**For some reason, I like the world "flat" more than "apartment". The first meeting with Latias is coming up in the next chapter. R and R!**


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Hunter was again the first to wake up. He got up from the small cluster that he and his Pokémon had been sleeping in and went inside the house. After eating breakfast, he found a note attached to his front door. Taking it, he saw that it was a note with directions on it. Hunter cocked his head quizzically, but went out the door and followed the directions. Turning on various street corners, he eventually came to a dark alley.

He shut his eyes, searching it for any sign of trouble. He found none. _Then what did Bianca want me to see?_

He walked forward, holding his arms out in case he bumped into something. He counted the steps until he hit the wall. And kept counting, and kept counting until he could see sunlight at the end of a tunnel that hadn't been there before.

Hunter ran forward and out into the light, breathing out an exclamation of awe at what he was seeing.

The alley had disappeared. In its place was a garden, the most beautiful he'd ever seen. At the opposite side there was a large pool fed by small holes in the wall, while trees grew in squares of grass divided by dirt paths.

Hunter walked down the stairs, looking around some more. The garden was quiet except for the running water and the leaves rustling from the wind.

Hunter came to the foot of the stairs and began to walk deeper into the garden. The silence was eerie and starting to freak him out. _What's here anyway? _he wondered.

Coming to an intersection, he turned around and came face-to-face with a red-and-white Pokémon. He gave a loud yelp of surprise before falling over onto his behind.

"Ow…" he muttered. He looked up. The Pokémon's form was sleek and aerodynamic, perfect for cutting through air. Green eyes looked at him with a slightly curious attitude. He took a closer look at it. It was so familiar… then it hit him.

"Latias?"

The Pokémon looked surprised, but nodded. Hunter smiled and held out a hand. "it's alright. You can trust me."

Latias floated forward slightly and sniffed his hand. She then looked up at him, poking her nose into his face and sniffing. She then rubbed her cheek against his before floating backwards a bit. She then turned and flew off into the garden, lying down on a bench a short distance away.

Hunter walked over and sat down beside her, rubbing the guardian's head. "Lorenzo told me about your brother. He died bravely. You miss him, don't you?"

Latias nodded, moving over slightly to place her head in Hunter's lap.

Hunter smiled and rubbed her head some more. "It's okay. I've lost a lot of people in my life too. But more friends come along. Like me. Lorenzo sent me to keep you company."

Latias looked up at him. Hunter placed his hand on her head and began sifting through her memories.

_A boy, and a Pikachu, playing with her and Latios._

_Fright as two girls, along with an Espeon and an Ariados chased her._

_Horror as she saw her brother, scorched, bruised, and in pain, lying on the marble floor of the museum. _

_Sadness as her brother appeared in front of her in a pillar of light, transparent, then rose out of view._

Hunter looked into her eyes. "You've been through a lot. So have I."

Latias nestled down into his lap again.

Hunter rubbed her head some more. They sat like that for a few hours, neither one saying anything.

Hunter finally looked down at Latias. "You can't mope around like this forever, Latias. You need to be happy once in a while."

Latias looked up at him. Hunter got up and gestured to her. "Come on. What do you do for fun around here?"

Latias rose and flew over to a small tree by the fountain. The tree had a swing attached to the limb. She gestured to it. Hunter smiled and got on the swing. Latias began pushing and pulling, eventually riding the swing with Hunter as he took over and began pushing off the ground with his feet. Latias eventually began to smile. Hunter smiled too as he saw it. "That's more like it. Doesn't it feel good to smile?"

Latias shrugged and got off the swing, floating around to Hunter's front. The boy dug his heels into the ground to stop the swing, then looked at her. "You can't change what happened, Latias. The most you can do for your brother is live the life that he wanted for you."

Latias only looked at him. Hunter sighed. "I can't pretend to understand what you're going through. Even though I've lost members of my family, you're all alone now. I'm not." He looked up. "But Lorenzo and Bianca want me to be your friend. And I'm going to be, even if it's the last thing I do."

Latias blinked. She then nodded and flew away from him, fading from sight.

Hunter sighed again. _She won't even answer. How can I know what she's thinking?_

He walked back to the exit and left the garden. He spent several hours wandering the city, looking in shops, taking in the scenery.

As late afternoon came he found himself sitting outside a café, people-watching. His eyes were drawn to a little boy that was playing with a Gastly across the plaza.

_Problems?_ asked a voice.

Hunter smiled. _What are you doing here?_

_I saw what happened with Latias. She's still trying to get used to her brother being gone. _

_Did you hear what I said?_

_Yes. You were right about not being alone, but technically, she's not alone either._

_In what way?_ Hunter asked, watching the boy run back and forth across the plaza with the Gastly close behind.

_She has Bianca and Lorenzo. And now she has you._

_I don't know her like they do, though,_ Hunter said.

_Give yourself time. You've got plenty of other opportunities. _

_I know. Have you been watching Taren?_

_Yes. He's practicing every day, and is almost as powerful as you._

Hunter smiled. _Good. How's Lucar?_

_Imitating his father whenever he goes out to train. Taren's very proud of him._

_You've spoken to him?_

_Yes. He's happy, but misses you intensely. _

_Are they getting ready to come over here?_ Hunter asked. The Gastly had now stopped the boy in his tracks with telekinesis and was pulling him towards it. Hunter laughed a bit as the Gastly held the boy in the air in front of it and used its impressive tongue to lick the boy ravenously from chin to forehead. The boy started giggling.

Lucario manifested, sitting in the table's other chair. He smiled at the sight. _Cute, isn't it?_

_Buizel and I used to run around like that. _

_I saw your battle against Ash, by the way. I realize that seeing his Buizel brought back painful memories, but did you have to beat it up that badly?_

_I wanted to get it off of the field as quickly as possible. I regretted it._

_I know. I saw you apologize._

_What's Ash doing now? _

_He's in Snowpoint City, about to challenge the Gym Leader._

Hunter bit his lip. _I hope he does well. He's a good trainer. _

Lucario nodded. _That he is. Then again, you may be equal to him, or better. I don't think he's beaten Paul very many times._

_True. But he may be better than I am._

Lucario smiled. _Humility is a good quality. I'm glad you're developing it._

_Thanks. Have you found out anything about Deoxys?_

_No. But you should really start asking for help. I watched you practice the other day, and I'm sure that it'll be caught off guard by what you've learned, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to fight it all by yourself._

Hunter's smile faded. _I know. But what about the people? Deoxys will threaten the city in order to get to me. What do I do about them?_

_We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,_ said Lucario.

_How are things going with Arceus?_ asked Hunter.

_Well enough. It still doesn't like you, but its mood is improving. _

Hunter sighed. _Better improved than nothing._

_Indeed,_ Lucario muttered. _I'd better get back. Goodbye._

_Goodbye._

Lucario disappeared. Hunter turned his attention back to the boy. The kid was now giggling madly as the Gastly's giant tongue slapped his face repeatedly. Hunter rose and began walking back to his flat, looking back as the Gastly put its playmate down, giving him one final, huge lick with its long tongue that made the boy's head tilt backwards as the tongue slid up his face, and made a noise of pleasure as the boy hugged it. Or tried to.

Hunter smiled.

**Don't ask how the kid's not paralyzed, just run with it. It's cute, anyway. I know the first meeting with Latias probably wasn't what most of you were expecting, but they'll warm up to each other farther in the story. R and R!**


	9. Chapter 9

Hunter's new home was next door to Bianca and Lorenzo's house. That night, Bianca was painting in her room. It was a picture of the skyline of Alto Mare. Lights glimmered from a few windows and the stars and moon were bright in the sky. As she finished detailing a building she looked around at a noise. Going to her window, she looked next door.

Out in the back garden of Hunter's pace, she saw the boy playfully wrestling with his Pokémon. At the moment he and Typhlosion were tussling, the others watching and trying not to burst into laughter.

Typhlosion was on the ground then managed to flip Hunter, giving the boy a lick from chin to forehead as he tried to squirm his way free.

Hunter then pushed Typhlosion off and leapt at Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon grabbed its trainer and spun with the momentum, holding him by his shoulders in front of it. Hunter grinned and laughed. Charizard bent its head forward and gave its trainer a huge slurp from his chin to his bangs, soaking the space in between. Hunter's head jerked back slightly as Charizard's large tongue slid up his face, but the boy only laughed harder as saliva dripped from his hair and chin.

Suddenly noticing the open window, he smiled at Bianca. She laughed at his wet face and smiled back. Charizard nudged Hunter on the shoulder and smirked at its trainer when he looked over at it.

Hunter narrowed his eyes and shoved Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon smirked again, inciting another shove. Hunter didn't get a chance for a third as Charizard's huge tongue swept out of its mouth and slowly dragged across his face. The boy struggled, his arms waving frantically as the tongue covered his nose and mouth. He fought for air and breathed it in with a gasp after Charizard's tongue had finished its journey across his face. Breathing heavily, he shot Charizard a dirty look.

He stood up and waved goodnight to Bianca before walking back into his place. His Pokémon followed him in, all laughing at the night's antics.

Bianca laughed too, then returned to her painting.

Hunter was in the bathroom, toweling his face dry. He wanted to get to sleep, take his mind off of the butterflies that had been born in his stomach when he'd seen Bianca watching him playing with his Pokémon. Not to mention her seeing him covered in drool.

He put on his pajamas and then climbed into bed. The others were waiting for him, in various spots around the room. Typhlosion, Umbreon, and Raichu were sleeping on the bed. Charizard, Scyther, and Swellow sat or lay around it. Hunter petted each of them goodnight, laying under the blankets and looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, letting his gaze travel beyond Alto Mare, to the Veilstone Gym. There was nobody there. He searched for Taren's Aura, finally locating the Lucario, his family, and Maylene on a boat headed towards Alto Mare.

He smiled. He guessed that they'd be in the city in about four days at that speed. It wouldn't be long now.

He opened his eyes again to come face-to-face with Umbreon. It cocked its head to one side. Hunter scratched it behind the ears, making it close its eyes and tilt its head back in pleasure. Hunter smiled. "Night, Umbreon."

Umbreon nudged him with its nose, then put its paws to either side of him and started licking his face.

Hunter laughed quietly as Umbreon gave his face a thorough licking before retiring for the night. He didn't bother to get up and dry off again. He turned over and fell asleep, his plans for that day set.

***

The next morning, Hunter was eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. He got up and answered the door to see Bianca standing there. She looked at his face. "You've cleaned off, I see."

Hunter smiled. "Ha ha."

"You ready?"

Hunter nodded. He looked at the others. "I'll be home soon, guys. Don't tear the place apart."

There was a chorus of affirmative noises as he shut the door. Bianca smiled. "Are they housetrained?"

"I don't know. They're obedient, though, and Charizard or Typhlosion are tall enough open the door to the backyard if they need to."

Bianca laughed.

They spent the morning walking around Alto Mare, Bianca showing Hunter the more well-known sites in the city. Hunter took in the ambiance of the place, breathing in the salty air, listening to the relative quiet. Not many people were around at this time. Wingull flew overhead, their calling the only other sound other than footsteps and the occasional shout of "Good morning!" by one citizen to another.

It was around noon when they finally stopped walking. Neither teen massaged their feet, both being accustomed to walking. Hunter laid back and sighed.

Bianca's voice kept him from nodding off. "So, how did it go with Latias yesterday?"

"She's extremely morose. I don't know if I can improve her attitude. It'd take a miracle."

Bianca blinked, then looked down at the pavement. "Grandpa and I both miss Latios a lot. We were the only people in Alto Mare that knew about them. Everyone else just said they were legends."

Hunter pressed his lips together before nodding. "Legends have a disturbing habit of becoming fact. The legendary birds, for instance. Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos. Then Lugia. Then there's Entei, Suicune, and Raikou. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus. Crises all over have caused them all to reveal themselves. Why should Latios and Latias be any different?"

Bianca shrugged.

They spent the rest of the day exploring the city some more, finally returning to their homes as the sun was beginning to set. Hunter smiled. "Thanks for showing me around, Bianca."

"No problem," she replied. "I had a good time."

They both went through their respective doors.

Hunter frowned, knowing something was wrong, but not quite knowing what. Then it hit him. The lights were out.

He reached out, guided by his second sight, and flipped the switch. The lights came on just in time for Hunter to see a wall of blue and cream fur flying at him.

Typhlosion slammed into its trainer at full speed, knocking Hunter against the wall.

"Come on, Typhlosion!" the boy shouted as Typhlosion's huge tongue licked his cheek and swiped up his face from chin to forehead. "Get off! Stop! Down!"

About two minutes later, Typhlosion, grinning, got off of its trainer. Hunter glared at it as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "I'm going to run out of clothing at the rate you guys are getting it wet."

Typhlosion made a stuttered growling noise as it laughed. Hunter shook his head as he walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV as his team settled in around him.

**Not really much to say here, except that the scene at the beginning was inspired by the Disney version of "The Little Mermaid". R and R!**


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Hunter was in the garden with Latias. This time he'd brought his Pokémon along, and now they were playing hide-and-seek. Latias actually seemed to be having fun. She'd smiled a lot throughout the game.

Hunter hid in the branches of a tree. He didn't count it unfair. Latias could fly. Making himself as still as possible, he watched Umbreon run under the branches. It was followed by Latias, who was right on its tail.

Hunter smiled. Latias's mood had gradually improved throughout the day. Now she was laughing and twirling happily through the air as she played with Hunter and his Pokémon.

Latias, having lost Umbreon, came over and began flying around Hunter's tree. The boy leaned out, trusting the Aura in his feet to stick him to the tree. _She'll never look up,_ he thought.

As if Latias could hear his thoughts, she looked up. Hunter smiled and released the pent-up Aura around his feet, causing him to fall from his perch onto Latias's back. The guardian and the boy fell to the ground in one tangled pile, with Hunter on the bottom, grinning. He was laughing as he yelled "Found me!"

Latias giggled.

Hunter sat up as the others gathered around. "So, what do you guys want to do now?"

There was a sudden silence as each member of Hunter's team became immersed in their own thoughts. Hunter leaned back against the tree, then realized what they could do when his stomach growled.

"Who's hungry?"

A few minutes later they were all lying on the grass around a tree, eating lunch. Hunter tore large bites out of a sandwich with almost indecent enthusiasm. Latias lay on the ground next to him, watching the others. Hunter reached out and rubbed her head. "Are you having fun yet?"

Latias smiled and nodded. Hunter smiled back. "Good. You can't go your entire life moping, Latias. People come and go."

Latias raised her head and rubbed her cheek against his. Hunter hugged her. "Try and have fun, okay? Life's too short to be preoccupied with one moment in your life."

They spent the rest of the day playing in the garden. That night, they sat in a clear patch of grass open to the sky. They stared up at the stars, watching them twinkle.

Hunter looked at Latias, who was asleep with her head on his chest. He closed his eyes. _I don't want you to be like this the rest of your life, Latias. If there was anything I could do to make you happy, I'd do it, no matter what it takes._

He leaned his head back, his eyes drooping shut as he fell asleep with the others around him.

The next thing that Hunter felt was the sun in his eyes. He opened them, shut them again, then rolled out of the way until his face was pointing towards the ground. He blinked rapidly and then sat up straight. Everyone else was still asleep.

Suddenly, Latias jerked awake. She looked around, as if searching for something. Then she looked up, and her facial expression changed. It went from happy with a touch of sadness to overwhelming joy. She shot off like a rocket, flying into the air.

"Latias!" Hunter yelled as he watched her go.

Latias didn't hear. She was going too fast. Hunter ran over to Charizard and nudged the Dragon Pokémon awake. As Charizard rose and stretched Hunter hopped on its back. "Follow Latias," he said. "Just go straight up."

Charizard took off, flying into the air with Hunter hanging on to its back.

He could see Latias, a tiny speck of red in a sea of blue. She was still flying, shooting through clouds and leaving a trail of white behind her.

Charizard's flapping was getting slower and Hunter noticed it was becoming hard to breathe. _How much higher can she go?_ he wondered.

Latias answered his question by shooting past him with another form, similar in dimension to her except larger, flying side-by-side with her.

Hunter tapped Charizard on the shoulder and the dragon turned, flying back towards the garden.

Hunter looked at the blue form. It had red eyes in contrast to Latias's green ones. But the markings…

_Latios?_

As Charizard set down on the ground again, Hunter jumped off. He looked at Umbreon and grabbed its head in his hands. Staring into the shadow fox's eyes, he conveyed a message through thought. Letting go, he pointed the way out of the garden. Umbreon was off like a shot, heading towards Bianca and Lorenzo's home.

Hunter watched it leave, then turned back around to see Latios's eyes staring directly into his.

He stood there, unblinking. Latios hung there, unmoving except for bobbing up and down. It then extended one of its hands. Hunter took it and pumped it twice. He smiled. "Your sister's been very lonely without you," he said.

Latios smiled. He nuzzled the boy, then went back to Latias. They began to twirl happily around in the air.

Bianca and Lorenzo ran in, following Umbreon. Hunter knelt down and scratched Umbreon behind the ears as it ran up to him. "Good job," he told it.

He looked up at them both and pointed. "Am I seeing things?"

Lorenzo looked at the two guardians. "No. That's definitely Latios. Her brother, not their father. But I thought he was dead. How could he have come back?"

Hunter had a very good idea how, but didn't elaborate. He walked over to the edge of the garden upon sensing a presence other than the ones in the garden at present.

Lucario stood in one of the tunnels, leaning against the wall. He looked at Hunter as the boy approached. _So? How did it go?_

_How did you do it?_

_Arceus heard your thoughts. It reasoned that if you were willing to do anything for a friend in need, then Latias deserved to have her brother back._

Hunter smiled. _Be sure to thank it for me. Latias is a lot happier with her brother than just me. _

Lucario smiled back. _Indeed. And I've seen you practicing. Thank you for doing it._

Hunter nodded. _Tell me. Is there any news of Deoxys?_

_None,_ Lucario replied, shaking his head. _I have no doubt that it's coming for you, but there is no way of knowing its location._

Hunter bit his lip. _Taren and the others will be here in a few days. I'll call a few others. _

Lucario nodded. _Good. Be sure to tell them what they'll be up against._

Hunter nodded back. _Once again, tell Arceus that I said thanks._

_Will do. Goodbye._

Lucario disappeared.

**Latios is my favorite of the Alto Mare pair. He'll be in the end battle too, but only for a short bit. R and R!**


	11. Chapter 11

That night in his house, Hunter sat in the center of his living room, cross-legged. He was guessing on how to do this, but hopefully it would be enough to get the help he needed. But there was still the matter of how fast they could get to Alto Mare. Hunter had no doubts about some of them, but others might arrive too late to do anything.

_It doesn't matter,_ Hunter thought to himself. _I'll take what I can get._

He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Focusing on the Aura within himself, he began dividing it into portions, implanting a message in each. When it was done, he expelled the portions from his body. As they left he gasped and fell onto his back as a number of blue-shifted shades shot from his body and through the walls of his home, invisible messengers on the way to their destinations.

Hunter lay on his back, breathing heavily. He felt extremely weak, though it was relieved by the Aura from the environment flowing into him. He lay like that for a little while.

When he finally got the strength to sit up, he took a deep breath, then let it out. He got up and went to the kitchen and began fixing something for him to eat. As he sat at the table and began scarfing the food down, he went over the help he'd requested.

_Mewtwo._

_Shaymin._

_Lugia._

_The bird trio._

_The beast trio._

Nine legendary Pokémon. Hopefully it would be enough. But if they didn't make it, then he would have to fight Deoxys on his own. A task he didn't relish.

Mewtwo sat on top of Mount Quena, meditating under the light of the moon. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked around. He narrowed his eyes on sighting a formless mass of blue, which approached him and began to swirl around him. He suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

_You know my voice, Mewtwo. You helped me find someone very close to my heart. I need your help. If you know where the city of Alto Mare is, go there as quickly as possible. _

In a field of flowers, Shaymin looked up into the sky, its eyes transfixed on the stars. It jumped upon seeing the shade, quivering with fright as the mass wrapped itself around it.

_Hello, Shaymin. You know me. I need your help. Get to the city of Alto Mare as fast as you can._

Deoxys floated in front of the sparkling remnants of the final three shades. It had managed to track down the remaining seven shades and had destroyed them. It wasn't far from Alto Mare. Six day's time, at the most. It took off into the air again, flying in the direction of the city.

Hunter woke the next morning and lay there, staring at the ceiling. Throughout the night he'd felt sudden flashes of weakness. He knew that at least some of the shades had fulfilled their purpose. The others had been caught and destroyed by Deoxys.

Hunter sat up and got out of bed. Getting dressed, he closed his eyes and searched the area surrounding Alto Mare. There was a boat coming in.

Taren was on it.

Hunter smiled and had all of his Pokémon return to their balls. Then he ran out of his house and began running along boulevards, heading towards the edges of the city, the docks more specifically. When he got to the dock in question, he stopped, breathing heavily. Squinting, he made out a form approaching.

It was a boat. Hunter smiled and started waving. Not sure if he'd failed to get their attention, he fired an Aura Sphere into the air and then released the energy built up inside. A blue ball of light decorated the morning sky, and the boat seemed to speed up. Hunter only stood there as the boat pulled up alongside and a quintet of figures piled out of it. Three of the figures were Lucarios; Taren, Mara, and Maylene's Lucario. A Riolu, little Lucar, was piggybacking on his father's shoulders, pushing his ears flat over his head as he peered towards Hunter. Maylene stood next to her Lucario, watching the scene.

Taren stared for a minute, then reached up over his head, taking Lucar and putting him in Mara's arms. His mate smiled and gave Taren a gentle nudge forward. Taren turned this nudge into a full-tilt run towards Hunter. His surrogate father caught him, laughing. "Taren! It's good to see you again!"

Taren hugged Hunter hard. _I missed you, Dad. _

"Likewise," Hunter whispered, hugging Taren just as hard. "How've you been?"

_Fine. I've been practicing a lot._

Hunter smiled. _That's my boy._

He took his Poké Balls from his belt and released his team. They all appeared behind him, looking at Taren and his family. Hunter gestured to them. "These are the Pokémon I've caught over the course of my journey."

Maylene raised her eyebrows. "Very impressive. Quite the lineup."

"Thanks," Hunter replied.

Mara set Lucar down. The Riolu immediately began to toddle over towards Hunter. Unfortunately, he missed and bumped into Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon looked down at the Riolu and smiled. Lucar wrapped his tiny arms around Charizard's leg.

Charizard gently shook him off and lowered its head to Lucar's level. The Riolu stared into Charizard's blue eyes, mystified at this giant monster.

Charizard's mouth opened and its massive, pink tongue swept out, giving Lucar the biggest lick of his life from chin to forehead. Charizard's tongue swept up the Riolu's face, actually forcing Lucar onto the tips of his toes. When Charizard swept its tongue off of Lucar's face with a giant slurp, the Riolu fell onto his bottom, a blank and very silly expression on his face.

Hunter laughed. "I think Charizard's taken a liking to Lucar."

_A licking, more like,_ Taren replied.

They all laughed. Hunter went about introducing the rest of his Pokémon. None of them had seen any of Hunter's friends before and were all immensely curious. On the other hand, Lucar was just as awed. He climbed onto Swellow's back, gave himself a tiny cut on one of Scyther's blades, played with Umbreon and Raichu for a while, and went back to his mother's arms as Hunter let Typhlosion go forward. The Volcano Pokémon did so eagerly, running towards the Veilstone group, more specifically towards Taren. The young Lucario let out an "Oof!" as Typhlosion tackled him. Mara smiled and Lucar laughed and clapped his paws as Typhlosion held Taren on the ground, the Volcano Pokémon's huge tongue licking his face.

Hunter laughed. "I think Typhlosion likes you best."

_Gee, Dad._ Taren replied as the skin on his cheek rolled up, forcing one of his eyes shut as Typhlosion's tongue dragged up the side of his face. _You don't say._

Typhlosion eventually let Taren up and moved over to Mara and Lucar. Maylene and her Lucario were standing back, not wanting to get in the way of the reunion.

Lucar reached out to Typhlosion's face as the Volcano Pokémon gave him a big lick from chin to forehead. Mara was also hit by Typhlosion's tongue and laughed as it slapped against her cheek and dragged up it. _Well,_ she said, rubbing her cheek with her free paw. _They certainly are friendly._

Typhlosion proved this by placing its paws on Mara's shoulders as it started to lick her face with its giant tongue, which was large enough to wet the female Lucario's entire face with a single swipe.

"Okay, Typhlosion, I think they're happy to see you too," Hunter said, laughing. He looked at them all. "You all must be tired. Come on."

They walked through the city back to Hunter's house. As Hunter walked through the doorway and turned on the lights, he felt someone inside. Moving to the living room and motioning the others to stay back, he swung around the doorway, an Aura Sphere in each hand.

_You should put those away,_ said a voice from the form sitting in the center of the room. _I mean you no harm._

Hunter narrowed his eyes, but flicked on the light. He then relaxed on seeing who it was. "Mewtwo. Thanks for coming."

_This will be two favors that you owe me, now,_ the Psychic Pokémon told him. _But judging from the circumstances, I would say that you need my help badly. _

"You've felt it too?"

_Yes. I've sensed Deoxys heading this way. I felt it take out seven other shades._

"Seven?" Hunter asked. He clenched a fist. So only Mewtwo and another would be coming.

He looked up at Mewtwo. "We've got plenty of room. You're welcome to stay here until this is all over."

_Thank you,_ Mewtwo replied. _You will find me on the roof._

There was a brief flash of light and the Legendary was gone.

**I think I'm going to need to do some editing before I can post the next chapter, because it involves a playback of the last scene from "The Birth of Mewtwo" if any of you have seen it. If you haven't, go look it up on Youtube. It's there. R and R!**


	12. Chapter 12

The moon was rising when Hunter came out onto the roof. Mewtwo sat there, cross-legged, staring up at the sky.

Hunter walked over and sat down beside him. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Mewtwo smiled a little. _Yes. It is._

"You know, we have room in the house."

_I prefer to be alone._

Hunter bit his lip. He looked at Mewtwo. "You know what we're facing. I've fought Deoxys before. Or, more like intermediaries of it. It was always controlling a Pokémon, and they were always unnaturally strong. If they were just mediums, imagine how powerful Deoxys really is."

_You don't need to worry,_ Mewtwo replied. _You have your friends, your own Pok__émon, and me._

"And whichever target the last shade reached."

_True._

Hunter looked at Mewtwo again. "I don't know you very well. What's your story?"

_I was created in a lab on a place called New Island. The humans there treated me like I was an object, not a living being. I destroyed the laboratory and was asked by the leader of the group that had created me to help him. I ended up serving him by aiding his organization. He helped me hone my psychic powers, but he too treated me like an object of power. No free will. I escaped and returned to New Island, building a home out of the remains of the laboratory I had destroyed. I invited the world's strongest Pok__émon trainers to pit themselves against me. I bested them easily with strengthened clones and claimed their Pok__émon. There was one, though, who was persistent. He infiltrated my home and retrieved all of the other Pok__émon, and I forced the clones I had made from them to pit themselves against the original, their unnatural abilities suppressed by my mind._

"What was the boy's name?"

_He was young. Dark hair, with a Pikachu. His name was Ash Ketchum._

Hunter smiled. "I battled him myself. He was really good."

Mewtwo smiled back. _Indeed. After he put himself in danger to stop the fighting, I realized that there was more to a Pok__émon's life than just serving humans. I took my clones to an island on Mount Quena, where they could live in peace. But the organization of humans that created me followed me there. They attacked my home and attempted to pollute the lake surrounding the island. I drove them off with help, again, from Ash and his friends. _

Hunter smiled again. "He does seem to get into trouble a lot."

Mewtwo chuckled. _Indeed. I proceeded to wander the world, letting my cloned Pok__émon live out their lives in peace. It was during my wanderings that I found your Riolu. I took him back to Mount Quena, knowing that you would follow it. After you found it, I resumed my wanderings until your shade reached me during a return to Mount Quena. _

"Anything else? Do you remember anything from the tank?"

_No… nothing except one thing. A phrase, said by someone…_ Mewtwo put his paws to his temples and rubbed them, his eyes clenched shut. _"Life…is wonderful." but I can't remember who told me that._

"Maybe I can help." Hunter said. "I have powers that even you don't know about."

Mewtwo looked at him. _What will you do?_

"Try and get those memories to surface," Hunter replied. He turned until he was facing Mewtwo. "Face me."

Mewtwo turned until he was sitting across from Hunter. The boy placed his hands on the sides of Mewtwo's head, closing his eyes and letting Aura flow through him. He felt Mewtwo stiffen.

_Relax,_ he told him in his mind. _This may hurt a bit, but if you're curious as to who told you that phrase, then this must be done._

Mewtwo relaxed. _Whatever you're doing, be careful. If I lash out at you, I can't be held responsible for what might happen._

_I know. I'm prepared._

Hunter moved the Aura into his hands, then to his fingertips. _Ready?_

_Ready._

Hunter forced the Aura from his fingertips into Mewtwo's head. The Psychic Pokémon jerked and yelled as images began to flash behind his eyes. They rewound from where he was now, past his wanderings, his encounters with Ash, his time with Team Rocket and on New Island, his encounter with his "parent", Mew.

Finally, there was only blackness. Hunter's brow furrowed. Curious, he pressed deeper. Then, everything exploded into color. There was a little girl, a Charmander, a Bulbasaur, and a Squirtle, the Pokémon having odd markings on their bodies. The memory threw itself forward. There was sun, wind, and night, until the memory finally stopped. It was night, and the little girl was floating in front of the moon. She was dissolving into sparkling nothingness.

_What's wrong, Amber?_ asked a young voice that Hunter recognized as Mewtwo's. _What's happening?_

_It feels…like it's time to say goodbye,_ the girl, Amber, replied.

_Goodbye?_ Mewtwo asked, confused.

Wetness began to glimmer in both Mewtwo and Hunter's eyes as younger Mewtwo began to cry.

_I feel…something…_ young Mewtwo said. He brushed tears from his eyes and looked at them. _What are these?_

_They're tears,_ Amber replied. _You're crying._

_Crying?_

_My daddy used to tell me a bedtime story; that when Pok__émon are sad, and they cry, their tears are filled with life._

_I'm so…sad._ Mewtwo whispered.

Amber was silent for a moment before looking at Mewtwo again. _I have to go._

_Why?_ Young Mewtwo asked.

_I don't know. But it's all right. Thank you for caring about me. And don't cry, Mewtwo. You should be happy! You're alive, and life is wonderful…_

Amber disappeared, her last statement echoing. The night dissolved into nothing. Young Mewtwo's voice became hard, filled with grief and rage. _These tears…_ he growled. _What good are they?_

The grief gave way to unbearable despair as the young clone began to look around for his friend.

_Please, Amber! _he wailed. _Come back! Don't go! Please! Amber?_

Hunter was suddenly blown backwards by a massive psychic push as Mewtwo thrust out uncontrollably with his powers. The boy skidded backwards along the roof, managing to stop himself before he fell over the edge, or was thrown through the wall of Bianca and Lorenzo's house.

Mewtwo was standing now, glaring at Hunter. The clone took a step towards him, then dropped to his knees. Hunter heard him sobbing.

_Amber…_ Mewtwo said as even his thoughts choked with remembering, tears dripping from his eyes. _I remember now…It was Amber that said that…They made me forget._

Hunter walked over and knelt next to Mewtwo, putting a hand on the Psychic Pokémon's shoulder. "You okay?"

Mewtwo raised his head and looked up at the sky. _She's up there, somewhere,_ he thought. _I hope she's happy._

"You gave her cause to be," Hunter replied. "She died, but you made her last few hours happy. She got to spend it teaching you about the world. And she and you had fun doing it."

Mewtwo blinked, then nodded. _You're right. Thank you for helping me. I needed this._

"You're welcome," Hunter said.

_I think I'll take you up on your offer after all,_ Mewtwo said.

Hunter smiled and the two went back into the house together.

**I think the general consensus for anyone who's seen the short "The Birth of Mewtwo" thinks that it pushes Mewtwo even farther into Woobie territory. (Woobie is the term for a character that REALLY needs a hug.) The final battle will be coming up in a few chapters, and it makes up maybe the last...twenty pages of the story. R and R!**


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, everyone was in the living room. With two teams of Pokémon and four that weren't part of those teams, and with three of the team members in question being quite large, the room was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

The doorbell rang suddenly. Hunter got up. "I'll get it. Riley's here."

He picked his way around Maylene's Meditite, Machoke, and Lucario, and his team, and Taren and his family, and Mewtwo, who was sitting apart from the others, though still within easy speaking range.

Walking down the hallway, Hunter got to the door and opened it, flashing Riley a greeting smile. "Hey. I didn't think you knew where I lived."

"I just had to look around," Riley replied. "You're kind of hard to miss."

Hunter smiled again. "Come on in. The living room's a bit cramped, but there's probably enough room for one more human and his team."

Riley smiled and Hunter led him inside, taking the Aura user into the living room. Riley took his Poké Balls from his belt and tossed them into the air. All six of his Pokémon appeared. His Lucario, the Blaziken Hunter had fought on his first day in the city, a Garchomp, a Dragonite, a Rhydon, and a Gallade.

Riley gestured to all of them. "If whatever is coming is as bad as you say, we'll need all of our teams helping too."

Hunter nodded. "Right."

He looked around suddenly, then looked at Umbreon. "Did you see where Charizard went?"

Umbreon shook its head. Hunter bit his lip worriedly.

Taren put a paw on his shoulder. _Relax, dad. Maybe it just went for a flight._

Hunter reluctantly nodded. "Maybe. But if it's not back by dark, I'll get worried."

_Then we'll wait until dark. Okay?_

Hunter nodded again.

Charizard was, in fact, on an island a short distance away from the city. It stood on a cliff, looking out to the mainland, and waiting.

Finally, it saw what it was waiting for. A red-and-green form was flying towards the city. Charizard opened its mouth and fired a Flamethrower at the object. It was a direct hit, and an explosion engulfed the whatever-it-was.

Charizard smirked. This was what had its trainer so worried? It wasn't that tough.

Charizard's smirk faded as the form shot out of the cloud, flying towards Charizard with deadly intent. Charizard took off, avoiding the attack and firing another Flamethrower at its attacker. The thing twisted in the air, avoiding the attack, then conjured a ball of energy and hurled it at Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon fired a Dragon Rage in response, and the two attacks collided, exploding and causing a cloud of dust to form between the two fighters.

The smoke was then whirled aside by the strange creature once again. This time it collided, hitting Charizard in the face as it flew past it. Charizard turned its head and fired another Flamethrower, tracking the creature's flight path, but it managed to avoid the fire and then turned, flying back towards Charizard.

This time, it had an Iron Tail ready. As the thing got close, Charizard spun, hitting the object in the head and throwing it down to the island below, where it smashed into an outcropping in a cloud of dust. Charizard fired a Dragon Rage just in case it wasn't finished.

It wasn't. Out of the explosion the creature came again, this time hitting Charizard in the stomach. The Dragon Pokémon was knocked backwards, but fired a Flamethrower again in the direction of its opponent. It dove right in, cutting its way through the fire to hit Charizard in the face again. The skin on Charizard's cheek rolled up as one of the thing's tentacle-like limbs punched it.

Charizard was sent spinning through the air, but stabilized and fired a Dragonbreath at its opponent. It conjured a shield around itself, dispelling the attack. It then fired another energy ball, which hit Charizard and exploded. The dragon was knocked backwards, out of the cloud of smoke as the creature attacked again and again, moving around faster than it could follow, hitting it in every imaginable place. Finally, it flew above Charizard and pile-drived its head, throwing the Dragon Pokémon to the ground, where it hit in a fountain of dirt and dust.

Charizard lay there, bleeding and unconscious.

Deoxys floated above it, looking down at it. It then looked at a large hole in its waist. The inferior's opening attack had been powerful, and had nearly hit the orb in the center of its chest. Deoxys needed to be in prime condition to fight the upstart. It would have to wait for now.

Deoxys flew back towards the mainland, leaving Charizard behind.

**Don't worry, Charizard will live. Sorry this one is so short. I'll post another along with it. R and R!**


	14. Chapter 14

Hunter was pulling on his jacket, getting ready to go look for Charizard. It was close to midnight and the Dragon Pokémon still hadn't come back yet. Taren walked up to him, a worried look on his face.

_Dad,_ he said, _what do you think happened?_

"I don't know, Taren. I just hope that it's all right."

There was a loud _thump_ from outside. Hunter and Taren looked towards the back door and ran to it, opening it to look out into the garden.

Hunter's eyes widened. Charizard stood in the center of the backyard, swaying. It looked up, its mouth opening in a smile at its trainer as blood flowed from its jaw.

It took a step towards him, then sank to its knees. Hunter and Taren barely managed to catch it in time as Charizard pitched forward. They both gently laid Charizard on its back on the ground as Hunter examined its injuries. Charizard's body was battered and bruised, scorch marks adorning several places. Its jaw was bleeding and it had a black eye, but there was no serious damage.

Hunter narrowed his eyes. _Deoxys did this. There's no other explanation._

Riley and Maylene came out of the house, both stopping short at the scene.

"What happened?" Riley asked.

"Deoxys. Charizard apparently fought it and lost."

Maylene and Riley ran over to it. Hunter ran inside the house and got Charizard's Poké Ball then ran back outside. Returning Charizard, he looked at them all. "I'll be back. Stay alert."

Hunter then closed his eyes, imagining himself in an alley next to the Alto Mare Pokémon Center. He then disappeared. When he opened his eyes, he was in the alley. Running out of it he burst into the Pokémon Center, hoping that Nurse Joy was awake.

She was. Hunter ran up to the desk and gave her Charizard's Poké Ball. "My Charizard got into a fight. It's badly injured."

Nurse Joy looked at the ball and nodded.

A few minutes later, Hunter sat on a bench outside an operating room. He could see the room through a large window, and though he didn't want to watch, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Charizard lay on the room's operating table. An IV needle had been taped in place on its arm. A number of Chansey and Nurse Joy herself moved to and fro about the room, looking at various machines, bandaging Charizard's injuries, and generally helping it recover.

Hunter watched for a long time. He didn't keep track. He watched until he fell asleep, falling on his side onto the bench.

When he opened his eyes, the light above the door was off. A Chansey stood in front of him, almost nose-to-nose.

Hunter sat upright, then looked at the Chansey. "May I come in now?"

The Chansey nodded, and with an eternally cheerful "_Chansey!"_ preceded him into the room.

Charizard was awake, and it managed to lift its head and look at him. Hunter smiled and walked over to it, rubbing its head with his hand and pressing his cheek against its own.

"Hey, buddy." he whispered. "How do you feel?"

_"Char,"_ Charizard replied, butting him gently with its nose.

Hunter returned it to its ball and left the Pokémon Center, going back to his house the normal way.

As he opened the door, he could hear what sounded like a party coming from the living room. He looked inside and saw Latios and Latias playing with the other Pokémon in the room. Hunter smiled and walked over to the two guardians. "What are you both doing here?"

"They want to help," said a voice. Hunter turned to see Lorenzo and Bianca standing in the doorway to the living room.

"Don't tell me you're both going to help as well. You don't have any Pokémon."

"We're just going to watch," Bianca said. "Latios wanted to help. You're the reason he's here, you know."

Hunter looked at Latios. The guardian nodded to confirm Bianca's statements. Hunter's eyebrows came together. "No. I won't have you dying and leaving your sister alone again."

Latios's eyes narrowed back. It made a series of noises that sounded like gibberish to Hunter.

_He says that he's fighting, and there's nothing you can say to change his mind,_ Taren translated. _Let him help, Dad. He wants to protect his sister._

"And what happens if he dies, Taren?" Hunter asked, whirling on his son. "What happens if we win, and Latios dies, or if Deoxys wins and all of us are dead? Latios and Latias can get away, but what happens if Latios fights and we fail? Latias will be all alone again, and to top it off, she won't have a home or anyone to take care of her."

_I did fine without you for a whole year!_ Taren replied.

"But you could call me when you wanted! Latias won't know anyone! She'll be alone in the world completely! Come to think of it, _you're_ not fighting, either!"

_What?!_

"You heard me! You have a family, Taren! I'll tell you the same thing I told Mara after Deoxys got you. You have a family, and I'm not going to put you in the line of fire while they're waiting to hear if you're alive or dead!"

_You can't stop me!_ Taren shot back.

"Wanna bet?" Hunter asked.

Both of them were nearly nose-to-nose, glaring at each other and growling. Visible Aura flickered around them, gathering in their hands and causing objects in the room to shake.

Mewtwo reached out his arms and pulled the two apart with Psychic. _Enough!_ he said. _This arguing is pointless. If we are to defeat Deoxys, we must all work together._ He looked at Hunter. _You are not fighting alone. You called me for a reason, did you not? Let your son help if he wants. If you have taught him as well as you think you have, then there is nothing to worry about._

Hunter broke Mewtwo's hold on him then disappeared.

Taren was glaring at the spot where his surrogate father stood. Everyone looked at everyone else, not saying anything.

**Awkwaaaaard... R and R! The big battle will be coming up in the chapter after next.**


	15. Chapter 15

Hunter reappeared on the island that he had developed his abilities on. With an angry yell he conjured an Aura Sphere and threw it at a nearby rock, blasting it to pieces. He repeated this process until the ground was cratered and plumes of smoke rose into the night sky.

Finally, he sat down and put his arms around his folded legs, resting his chin on his knees. He exhaled angrily.

He felt the presence close to him, but didn't react. It was probably just some random Pokémon braver than the others and curious about the noise. He heard it padding closer and was somewhat surprised to hear a voice in his head.

_Hi, Hunter!_

Hunter turned his head and looked down to see a Pokémon that looked like a cross between a snow-white hedgehog and a bush. He smiled. "Shaymin! I didn't think you'd make it!"

_I started out the day after I got your message. I flew as fast as I could! Am I too late?_

"Nope. There was a bit of scare with one of my team, but it'll be fine."

Shaymin looked around. _Why did you do that? Are you mad?_

Hunter shrugged, then laid down on his back, putting his hands behind his head. "Yeah. I'm trying to keep people safe and they insist on fighting."

_But if they want to fight, shouldn't you let them?_

"You saw the fight with Aggron, Shaymin. I don't want a repeat of that, but worse."

Shaymin remembered the Aggron. It remembered seeing Hunter's Pokémon falling one by one, their attacks useless against the unnaturally strong Steel type.

It looked at him. _Are you cooled down, now?_

Hunter sat up and nodded. "Yeah. Come on."

He picked Shaymin up and then envisioned himself back at his house.

***

As they appeared on the roof, Hunter carried Shaymin down into the living room. Everyone was still there, and all of them looked at him as he entered.

He looked at Taren as he set Shaymin down on the floor. _You. Me. Roof. Now._

Taren nodded and followed Hunter back out of the room. As they came up onto the roof, Hunter sat down and sighed. "You know why I blew up like that, don't you?"

_You want to protect me,_ Taren answered, sitting down beside him. _I know you mean well, Dad, but I'm not a Riolu anymore._

"I know. I just…I just don't want a repeat of when you disappeared."

Taren looked down at the ground, remembering when Deoxys had kidnapped him. _It won't be like that. I'll be careful. And I've been practicing._

"I know."

_I want to help, Dad. It's like what Mewtwo said. You can't do this on your own._

"I _know_, Taren."

_All of us want to help. We're here for you. We're a team._

Hunter smiled and put his arm around Taren's shoulders, noogying the Lucario. _You're right. We _are_ a team. Better than that, we're a family. And families stick together, right?_

Taren laughed as he pulled his head away from Hunter. _Yeah. You're right._

Shaymin came up onto the roof and looked at Taren. _Who's this, Hunter?_

Hunter picked Shaymin up and placed it in his lap. "This is Taren. My son, of sorts. Taren, this is Shaymin. I met it a little while before I came here."

Taren smiled and rubbed Shaymin's head. _Nice to meet you. _

_You too!_ Shaymin replied brightly.

Hunter looked up at everyone else. "Come on, you guys. Bedtime."

They all nodded and went to where they'd picked out to sleep. After a while, only Taren and Hunter remained.

Hunter smiled. "It's good to have you back, Taren."

Taren hugged Hunter. _You too, Dad._

"Go on. Bed."

Taren smiled and got up, backflipping over the couch to where he, Mara, and Lucar were sleeping.

"Show off!" Hunter yelled after him.

Taren laughed.

Hunter smiled and went to his own room.

His Pokémon were all still up, waiting for him. As Hunter walked in and sat on the edge of his bed, he looked at them all as they gathered around him.

Raichu, who he had saved from a hungry Fearow.

Swellow, who he'd given shelter to during a fierce storm.

Charizard, who he had nursed back to health after it had had a nasty run-in with Ghost Pokémon.

Scyther, who he had rescued from an Ariados's web.

And Typhlosion, who he had found injured at the bottom of a cliff, the victim of a fall.

All of them had repaid his kindness with their loyalty and friendship. He smiled at them all. To not run in the face of insurmountable odds, or in front of an enemy that they knew they couldn't beat. All of them respected their trainer, and the feeling was mutual.

He smiled at all of them again, then made his expression serious. "I want to make one thing clear to you all."

They all looked at him, listening intently.

"If we lose against Deoxys, and if it kills me, I want you all to promise that you'll escape and take care of one another. We're all a family, and I expect that family to stay together even if I'm gone. Understand?"

They all nodded.

Hunter smiled. "You all are the best team a trainer could ask for. You know that?"

The Pokémon agreed with this statement by tackling him onto the bed and licking his face.

Hunter laughed as Typhlosion's huge tongue slurped his cheek. "Guys! Get off me! Hahaha!"

Typhlosion and Charizard licked his face simultaneously, covering it completely with their tongues. After a few seconds more, they all got off of him.

They all backed up, letting their trainer sit up and grin at them, his face covered in saliva. "You're also the most _affectionate_ team a trainer could ask for."

He changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas, climbing into bed. The others got onto his bed, leaving it very cramped but also very warm. Hunter smiled as they all nuzzled up to him. "Goodnight, you guys."

Typhlosion returned the "goodnight" by bathing his face in licks again, making him laugh again before he fell asleep.

**The big battle's coming up next chapter. R and R!**


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, everyone was out in the yard. Hunter stood in the center with Taren, Maylene's Lucario, and Riley's Lucario around him. The four dodged, attacked, counterattacked, and basically fought. It was all practice, all of their reflexes being honed in preparation for Deoxys's inevitable attack.

Hunter deflected an Aura Sphere and fired one of his own at Taren, then rolled to avoid a Bone Rush attack from Maylene's Lucario. Conjuring gauntlets of Aura around his arms, he blocked a second strike, then grabbed the staff. A pulse of Aura through his hands threw Maylene's Lucario backwards, and Hunter spun, blocking a strike from Riley's Lucario as it jumped into the air and attempted to kick him with both feet. The feet struck Hunter's arms and the human pushed them off, Riley's Lucario backflipping away from Hunter. Taren came in with Metal Claw, his attacks skating off of Hunter's gauntlets in showers of sparks. Hunter ducked under Taren's arms and shoulder-charged him, throwing the Lucario off balance before sweeping Taren's legs out from under him.

Hunter then backflipped over Taren to avoid two Aura Spheres from the other two Lucarios. He fired back, jumping and spinning to avoid more attacks.

Riley watched with interest. "He's good. Very good."

Umbreon hit a rogue Aura Sphere with a Night Shade, momentarily obscuring the view.

Maylene looked at Riley. "What do you think will happen?"

Riley only shrugged. "I don't know. We can only hope that everyone will be enough."

Hunter met three Aura Spheres with a shield simultaneously, causing a large explosion that rattled nearby windows in their frames.

When the smoke cleared, Hunter was breathing heavily. All three of his opponents were as well. Hunter straightened and wiped his brow. "Right. That's enough for today."

He looked at his friends and family and sighed. _They have no idea what's coming. Come to think of it, neither do I. We'll just have to take it as it comes._

_Dad?_ Taren said. _Are you okay?_

Hunter nodded. _I'm fine, for the moment, Taren. Did I hurt you?_

_No. I'm okay._

_Good. _

Mewtwo frowned suddenly. _What is that?_

"What?" Hunter asked, turning to the legendary.

_I sense something. Evil. Coming this way._

Hunter's eyes widened and he practically flew up to the roof. Looking out over the city, he squinted at a small, black shape rapidly moving towards Alto Mare.

Taren joined him. The young Lucario looked at his father as he stared at the rapidly approaching dot. _Is it Deoxys?_

Hunter nodded. "Yeah. It's finally here."

***

A short distance away from Alto Mare Deoxys flew high into the air, stopping at least two miles above the city. Suddenly, its voice blasted into the mind of everyone in Alto Mare.

_Humans!_ it said. _Look upon me and despair! I am Deoxys, your new ruler! However, you may consider yourselves fortunate. I am not here for you yet. I am here for a boy that calls himself Hunter. I have come to kill him. The rest of you will be given an opportunity to escape and tell of my coming. You have one hour to leave the city._

Hunter clenched a fist, then ran towards the edge of the roof and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

_Dad!_ Taren said. _Wait for us!_

_I can't wait, Taren._ Hunter thought to himself. _This ends now._

After a few minutes' worth of jumping, Hunter cleared a final rooftop to land in the city center. "Deoxys!" he yelled.

Deoxys looked down. If it had had a true face, it would have smirked. Its tone was smug as it spoke to him.

_So, you finally decide to come and face me, boy._

"This coming from the Pokémon that uses others as its mediums."

Deoxys began to float downwards. _You do not know what you face, human. I am more powerful than even Dialga and Palkia. Which is why, after I'm done with this pathetic planet, I will destroy them. _

"And the other legendary Pokémon? They could unite and destroy you."

_Fool! _Deoxys said. _The legendaries are too scattered and too preoccupied with their own territory to bother with me. You can do nothing to stop me. Your very presence here is nothing but a moot point!_

"Then if I'm such a small obstacle, why don't you test that theory?"

_I don't think I will, _Deoxys replied. _Instead, I'll let my friends test this for me._

The sun seemed to dim. Hunter looked up and saw millions of Deoxyses, all floating above the city, eerily silent. As his friends entered the plaza as well, they stopped short, staring up at the clones.

Deoxys's tone was smug once more as it looked at them all. _Goodbye, fools. It was a valiant idea, but ultimately futile._

"This battle hasn't even started yet!" Hunter said. "You haven't seen anything, Deoxys! Just you watch!"

_Very well, _Deoxys replied. It then looked up at its army of copies. _CLONES! DESTOY THEM ALL!_

The Deoxys clones shot towards the Earth like missiles. Taren, Maylene's Lucario, and Riley and Hunter's entire teams fired attacks into the air, blowing dozens of clones out of the sky. More clones hit the ground like missiles, throwing up clouds of dirt. Several would have been direct hits had Riley not erected a shield of Aura over the group. Hunter charged into the thick of the clones. His fists and feet were constant blurs, clones coming apart from blasts of Aura and augmented punches and kicks.

Taren was suddenly beside him, fighting back-to-back with his father. They whirled through the horde of clones, pieces flying everywhere.

It couldn't last. Several clones threw themselves at the pair, impacting in the ground around them and throwing them apart. Hunter managed to stay on his feet as he slid backwards. He looked back at his team.

Scyther was flying faster than it ever had through the clones, its bladed arms constantly moving. Clones dropped in halves, quarters, and tiny pieces as Air Cutters and Razor Winds sliced through them, helped along by Scyther's blades.

Charizard was firing blasts of fire like it was the Fourth of July, explosions lighting the air all around it as its attacks connected. Upon seeing one large clump of copies, Charizard fired a Dragon Rage into their midst, causing the cluster to come apart.

Typhlosion was copying Charizard, though due to its lack of wings wasn't nearly as mobile. It dragged a Flamethrower through the air, frying dozens of clones that were in the path of the fire.

Umbreon was firing Shadow Balls, Night Shades, and the occasional Flash Cannon into the horde as they swarmed around the plaza.

Raichu fired blast after blast of electricity.

Swellow flew through the clones, smashing them to pieces with Close Combats, Steel Wings, Wing Attacks, and Drill Pecks.

No matter where you looked, pieces of Deoxys clones were coming down from the air. Shaymin and Mewtwo, Shaymin in its Sky Form, were fighting with all the ferocity they could muster. Shadow Balls and Energy Balls flew into the air, detonating against clones that then fell in pieces to the ground.

The real Deoxys watched impassively from the sidelines.

As Hunter spun in a circle firing beams of Aura that vaporized at least fifty clones, he noticed a significant drop in his energy. _There's too many. It's going to beat us through sheer weight of numbers._

And indeed, it was true. Already, the others were showing signs of tiring, in more ways than one.

Scyther was hit three different times by kamikaze clones. The Bug type cried out in pain as it fell to earth in a cloud of dust. Charizard and Swellow suffered the same fate, sheer weight of numbers bringing them down.

Riley's Pokémon were also fighting. His Lucario was among the clones, kicking and punching and fighting with everything it had. Riley's Blaziken was firing Flamethrowers and slashing with its claws and feet. His Dragonite fired a Hyper Beam at a group of clones then flew away from the explosion before firing an Ice Beam at pursuing copies. They froze in midair and fell to shatter on the ground. Garchomp and Gallade were fighting back to back, frenziedly attacking the clones that surrounded them. Finally, Riley's Rhydon was firing Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam at the mob of Deoxyses as fast as it could.

Explosions lit the air above the city center as the battle raged on.

Hunter backflipped out of the way of more diving clones, leaving them to smash into the ground harmlessly. He moved back to the others, firing Aura Spheres into the horde as they whirled around closer and closer.

_Aura Spheres are too slow,_ he thought to himself. Concentrating, he caused a virtual pincushion of sharp Aura needles, firing them into the horde in all directions. Spotting some clones forming a massive object, he shifted his fire there. The thing shot forward, straight towards him. Pieces of clones fell out, oblivious to his barrage.

All of a sudden Typhlosion was in front of him, firing a Flamethrower will all of its strength. Clones melted from the extreme heat, and it managed to stymie the living tentacle for a moment before it was joined by more clones, pushing forward against the Flamethrower until it broke through completely. They surrounded Typhlosion, and though Hunter couldn't see past them, he heard Typhlosion screaming in pain, saw flashes of red. When the clones retreated, Typhlosion stood there, covered in cuts and gashes. It teetered for a moment, then fell onto its face.

Hunter closed his eyes quickly, checking Typhlosion's Aura. It was badly hurt, but it would live.

Umbreon and Raichu were blasted into the air by more dive-bombing clones.

Taren was sticking close to Mara and Lucar, protecting them with Aura Spheres.

Deoxys noticed this. _Ah,_ it muttered. It turned to its clones. _Fire on the three Lucarios._

_We hear and obey,_ the clones said as one. Their four tentacles coming together, they sent a rain of Psychobursts flying towards Taren and his family. Taren's eyes widened. He turned around, casting a shield of Aura behind his back. The Lucario cried out in pain as the attacks struck the shield, battering against it like hail.

Mara stared at him, horrorstruck. _Taren!_

_Mara, take Lucar and run!_ Taren said. _Go! Get out of here!_

_I'm not leaving you!_ Mara replied.

_This isn't open to discussion!_ Taren yelled. _Go! Now! I can't keep this up for long._

Deoxys rose among its clones, charging a large Psychoburst in its arms before firing it at the shield. As Mara took Lucar and ran, Taren saw the light from the attack coming. This one would break the shield and kill him.

The orb struck.

_Taren!_ Mara yelled.

Deoxys would have smirked, if it could. It also would have frowned at what it saw.

Standing amongst the smoke was Hunter. A pulsing barrier of Aura surrounded him, blocking Deoxys's attack.

Deoxys's eyes narrowed. _Impressive. However, that will not be nearly enough to stop me._

There were still hundreds of clones in the air. Hunter's team was completely down. Even as he looked around Taren's eyes shut and he fell forward. Riley's team hadn't done much better. Despite taking down hundreds of clones, one by one his Pokémon had fallen as well.

Maylene had her Lucario in her arms. It looked badly injured.

Hunter looked around the plaza. The unconscious bodies of fourteen Pokémon lay around there, six from Hunter's team and six from Riley's. The other two were Maylene's Meditite and her Machoke. Both were unconscious as well.

Hunter looked up at the clones again, then got an idea. Forming a large Aura Sphere in his hands, he held it up in front of him. "What's the matter, Deoxys? Are you having second thoughts about us being unable to beat you?"

_Never._ Deoxys said calmly. _I know that you are trying to goad me. It won't work. But I'm not putting myself in danger. _It pointed with a tentacle. _Kill him._

The clones shot forward. Hunter threw the Aura Sphere, then released the energy inside. The Aura Sphere imploded, shooting tiny needles of Aura into the air. The Deoxys clones fell in a rain of bodies all made into Swiss cheese by the explosion.

Deoxys gave a low huff. _Impressive, boy. However, you are tired after only fighting my clones. You're weaker than I thought._ _I will enjoy beating you, then torturing you to see how long you'll last at that._

Hunter narrowed his eyes.

Deoxys looked around at the plaza. _I will return in thirty minutes, human. Long enough for you to heal your companions. Though when I return, I will show no mercy to any of you._

It flew off into the air, leaving the bodies of thousands of clones behind.

Hunter watched it go, then turned to the others. "We've got half an hour. Let's make it count."

After making a quick trip to the Pokémon Center (which had been abandoned during the extremely quick evacuation), Hunter and the others met in the city center. The boy pressed his lips together as he looked at his tiny army.

"Okay. Deoxys won't try clones again. This time, it'll come after us in person. All of our Pokémon are ready to fight again. But we need to be careful. Deoxys is strong. We all need to be ready for any possible outcome."

He looked around again. "So…any ideas?"

After a collective face fault by everyone, Mewtwo spoke. _We should erect multiple layers of defense. Any that could fly should stay between Deoxys and the city. The rest of us will stay on the ground when Deoxys breaks through them._

"As good a plan as any," Riley said. "Dragonite, get up there."

"Charizard, Swellow, Scyther, you too!" Hunter told the three.

Five Pokémon flew into the air, watching the clouds for Deoxys's return. Shaymin was the fourth. Hunter looked up. "Shaymin! Get down!"

_But I wanna help!_ Shaymin said.

_We need all the help we can get, Dad,_ Taren said. _And you _did_ call it here to help you._

_True,_ Hunter said. _Fine. It can stay up there._

The others all took up positions in the plaza, their eyes on the skies.

Finally, there was a glimmer of light. Riley's Dragonite spotted it, and shot higher into the air before anyone could stop it.

Hunter and Maylene looked at Riley. "Do you think it can stop Deoxys?" Maylene asked.

"It's going to try," he replied.

There was a loud _boom_ from above them and Dragonite plummeted from the air, landing in the canal and sending a fountain of water into the air. It came to the surface after a few moments, unconscious, floating on the waves.

_I guess that answers that question,_ Hunter thought to himself. He looked up. Deoxys was now a small black dot, racing towards the ground.

Charizard fired a Flamethrower at it. The fire raced forward and hit Deoxys, causing a large explosion to light up the sky. Deoxys came on through the flames, but was stopped halfway by a combined assault.

Swellow fired a Hyper Beam, then shot forward, an Aerial Ace ready on its wings. Scyther let loose a Razor Wind, sending the slashes flying towards Deoxys. Charizard fired a Dragon Rage, and Shaymin let loose with an Energy Ball.

Hyper Beam, Dragon Rage, Razor Wind, and Energy Ball all collided with Deoxys, a multicolored explosion obscuring it for a moment. Deoxys then shot out of the flames again, meeting Swellow's Aerial Ace head-on. There was another loud _boom_ and Swellow was thrown backwards, slamming into the pavement hard enough to send cobblestones flying.

Scyther sliced at Deoxys with a cut. Deoxys half-changed to Defense Form to block the strike, then turned its other half to Attack Form, sending a point-blank Psychoburst at Scyther. The Bug Pokémon's face assumed a surprised look before it was obscured by an explosion that it soon plummeted out of. Charizard swept at Deoxys with an Iron Tail. Deoxys avoided the attack, then shot forward, slamming into Charizard's stomach. The Dragon Pokémon coughed up saliva as it fell to the earth, but it managed to recover and shoot upward, its wings glowing as it slammed into Deoxys with a full-strength Steel Wing attack.

Deoxys was sent spinning into the air, but recovered and fired a Psycoburst that Charizard met with a Dragon Rage. Both attacks exploded and Deoxys flew through the smoke, slamming into Charizard again. This time, Charizard was knocked out of the air, slamming into the ground like Swellow and Scyther.

Only Shaymin was left. Panicking, the little Gratitude Pokémon fired an Energy Ball at Deoxys. It changed to Defense Form and blocked the attack, then changed into Speed Form. It shot forward, slamming head-first into Shaymin. Shaymin slammed into the ground and slid for several yards, leaving a furrow in the ground where it hit. Shaymin lay there, unconscious, its face a mess of blood.

As Deoxys flew towards the ground, Mewtwo shot upwards and fired a Shadow Ball that Deoxys was moving too fast to dodge. The attack slammed into it, carrying Deoxys high into the air, out of sight. Mewtwo flew up after it, finally stopping a significant altitude above the city.

When Deoxys made no sign of returning, Mewtwo smirked. _That wasn't so hard._

He was proven wrong as Deoxys shot out of the clouds and slammed into the legendary, carrying Mewtwo into a building. The two smashed through the roof, blowing out the building's windows and causing a cloud of dust to billow out of the openings.

The square was quiet for a time. Neither emerged. Hunter jerked his head at Taren. The Lucario followed him as he ran towards the building. They entered it, the doors falling inwards as they opened them.

_Shockwave weakened the door,_ Hunter thought. He motioned to Taren to keep alert.

_Deoxys can't be sensed with Aura. We have to rely on our vision, now._

_Okay, Dad._

Both moved in, Aura Spheres ready in case Deoxys decided to make a sudden appearance.

Hunter shut his eyes.

_Looking for Mewtwo?_ Taren asked.

Hunter nodded. _Keep on the lookout._

He stood there, Taren pressed up against his back, an Aura Sphere in each paw, looking around.

Deoxys was, in fact, up on a second floor balcony, watching the pair.

_Found him._ Hunter said suddenly. He opened his eyes and reached forward, towards a pile of masonry that had fallen onto Mewtwo after the crash. Lifting the fallen stonework off of Mewtwo, he ran over to the fallen Psychic Pokémon.

Hunter shook Mewtwo gently. He opened his eyes slowly, groaning. _Thanks,_ he said.

_You're welcome,_ Hunter replied in his mind. _Come on; let's get you back to the others._

He knelt and picked up Mewtwo, slinging one of the Pokémon's arms around his shoulders and wrapping one of his own arms around Mewtwo's waist.

They were almost to the door when Deoxys shot from the balcony, slamming into Hunter at full speed.

As they both crashed into a pile of rubble, Deoxys was borne up into the ceiling by an Aura Sphere. Hunter, bleeding from a cut above his eye, turned to Taren. "Take Mewtwo and get out of here!"

_But what about you?_

"I'll be fine! Go!"

Deoxys flew from the cloud of smoke. Hunter met it halfway, both of them colliding explosively several times as Taren picked up Mewtwo and bore him out of the building as Deoxys was thrown through a wall and into a neighboring building.

Hunter took the opportunity of the lull to run back to the others. As Deoxys came around the corner, Aura Spheres, Flamethrowers, a Thundershock, a Flash Cannon, and a Hyper Beam collided with it. The resulting explosion threw Deoxys backwards, sliding along the ground until it stopped all the way across the plaza.

Movement drew Hunter's eye to where the flying Pokémon had all hit the ground.

Scyther slowly rose from its crater, breathing heavily and trying not to collapse. As Deoxys rose, Scyther let out a screech of defiance.

Deoxys turned towards Scyther and glared. _Do not try my patience, weakling._

Scyther raised its arms and then swept them downward in an X-pattern, throwing an X-Scissor at Deoxys. Deoxys changed to Defense Form, blocking the attack before switching to Attack Form and firing a Psychoburst at Scyther. The Bug Pokémon took the full force of the attack, which blew it into a building. A fountain of dust flew out of the point of impact. When it dissipated, Scyther was lying on the pile of rubble, motionless.

Deoxys looked up and fired another blast at the building. This impact was too much for the superstructure, causing the building to crumble and fall on top of Scyther.

_"NO!"_ Hunter yelled. He was about to lunge at Deoxys, power be damned, when a blast of energy swept across Deoxys's form, followed by a massive explosion.

Everyone looked up into the sky. Floating in the air, his eyes glowing white, was Latios. In his arms, Hunter realized that he was carrying the Soul Dew.

Bianca and Lorenzo ran into the plaza. Bianca had a worried look on her face, Lorenzo was frowning.

"What happened?" Hunter asked.

"Latios couldn't wait any longer!" Bianca said. "He went to the garden and took the Soul Dew, and now he's here to fight Deoxys!"

"I told him to stay and protect you both!" Hunter shouted.

"He couldn't!" Lorenzo said. "He could hear the battle and wanted to join in."

As Lorenzo completed this statement, Deoxys shot from the cloud of smoke, towards Latios. Latios charged another Aeroblast in his mouth, firing it at Deoxys. Deoxys was blown backwards by the attack, slamming into the pavement again.

Latios's featureless eyes glared at Deoxys. Deoxys shot into the air again, switching to Speed Form in midflight. Latios sped forward as well, a Zen Headbutt building around his forehead.

The two collided with a huge _boom_, sending a shockwave out that had cobblestones trembling in the streets.

The two pushed against one another before they finally shot past each other. Latios fired another Aeroblast that Deoxys met in midair with a Psychoburst. The explosion lit the sky against the coming night.

Latios fired a fourth Aeroblast, which Deoxys dodged around, a Psychoburst building in its arms. It slammed into Latios, causing a large explosion.

Latios was thrown from the smoke cloud, the Soul Dew falling from his hands as he fell into the canal, burned and injured.

Deoxys turned to look at Hunter and the others before shooting back into the air.

Hunter watched it go, then ran over to the building that Scyther lay under. Throwing masonry into the air, he managed to uncover Scyther and pull the Bug Pokémon out of the rubble. Hunter anxiously patted Scyther's face. "Scyther," he said. "Wake up. Come on, wake up!"

Scyther's eyes fluttered open and it smiled at its trainer. Hunter smiled back and turned to the others. "This can't go on for much longer. All of you get the others and take a boat out of here."

_But what about you?_ Mara asked as she came out of the alley where she and Lucar had been watching the battle.

"I'll stay and keep Deoxys distracted. I don't want anybody else hurt because of me."

_But we can't just leave you here!_ Taren said.

"You have to, Taren. Look around you. Look at the others."

Taren looked around. Swellow, Charizard, Shaymin, Dragonite, and Latios were unconscious. Mewtwo and Scyther were badly hurt. The Lucario finally nodded.

Riley returned Dragonite and the rest of his team, Maylene following suit. Latias appeared and helped Latios out of the canal, carrying her brother to a large motorboat. She pointed to it, making a series of distressed noises.

Everyone helped carry the most grievously injured Pokémon to the boat first, then gathered in the plaza again.

"So," Riley said. "How are you going to do this?"

"I'll fight Deoxys for as long as I can. If I can't win, I'll absorb as much Aura as I can and release it all at once."

_But…Dad, do you know what that will do!?_ Taren said.

"I know, Taren. It's the only option left."

_But I can stay! I can help you with it!_

"No, Taren. I know that if I stay to do this, I die. But I can't leave Alto Mare to be destroyed. Deoxys won't stop hunting me until I'm dead."

_No!_ Taren said, shaking his head in denial. _We can do this together! _

"For the last time, Taren, _NO_!"Hunter yelled.

Taren stopped talking, cowed by the shout.

Hunter took advantage of Taren's silence to turn to Maylene, Riley, Lorenzo, and Bianca. "Go. All of you. Now."

He returned his Pokémon, handing them off to Maylene as she went towards the boat.

He then turned to Taren. "I know you want to help, Taren. But I can't bear the thought of losing you again. After what happened the first time I fought Deoxys…"

_That was one time,_ Taren said. _It won't try it again._

"And what about Mara? Lucar? You have a family, Taren. They need you."

_But we're your family, too!_ Taren replied. _You need us! We need you!_

"I'm doing this so that the rest of you can live, Taren. Just go, and live for the both of us."

_No…_ Taren said softly.

"I know you can do this. Take care of the others.

_No!_ Taren said, louder.

"You have a responsibility to them, now. You have to lead them away from here."

_NO!_ Taren shouted, throwing himself at Hunter, pummeling him with his paws. _You can't go!_ he yelled. _You can't leave me! _

"Taren," Hunter said softly, warding off each clumsy blow with ease. "Taren! Enough!"

_No!_ Taren said again. _I don't care what you say! I'm staying with you! You'll have to knock me out if you want me to leave!_

He ran forward, his fist cocked back to punch Hunter.

_If you insist,_ Hunter thought to himself. As Taren threw his paw forward Hunter grabbed it, pulling Taren towards him and slamming a hand into his chest. Aura short-circuited Taren's senses, knocking him unconscious. The young Lucario's eyes fluttered shut and he fell forward, being caught by Hunter to keep him from falling onto the ground. Hunter hugged Taren close to him.

_I love you, Taren,_ he thought to the unconscious Lucario.

Carrying him over to the boat, he placed him on the deck before walking back to the plaza. Everyone else watched him as he stood there, looking up into the sky. Lorenzo, who was driving the boat, finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing and turned on the engine, moving the boat out of the canals and out of the city.

Hunter kept staring at the sky, finally spotting a small black dot rapidly coming towards the ground.

_Hello, Deoxys,_ he thought to himself. _It's just you and me now._

Deoxys stopped a few feet from the ground, gradually floating down to touch the streets for the first time since its arrival.

_So, human,_ it thought. _Your allies have abandoned you._

"Not in the least," Hunter replied. "This is a battle between you and me. The innocents that you've placed between us are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Why involve them?"

_They were merely tools. Broken, but still had their uses._

"You murdered my teacher to get to me. You kidnapped my son and attempted to use him to kill me. You nearly killed me on that mountain pass near the Shaymin's flower garden. But I escaped. I always escaped."

_Luck._

"Luck? Or am I more powerful than you can imagine? You saw how my battle with Dialga and Palkia ended. Are you sure you want to go up against that?"

_I am certain, human, that that instance was a one-time occurrence. _

"And now? I was able to hold my own against you while I was rescuing Mewtwo. I even tossed you around like a rag doll!"

_Again, luck. You will not find me as easy to defeat as your Lucario, that foolish Aggron, or the doddering ancients that call themselves the guardians of time and space._

Hunter glared. "Whether you call it luck or not, I'm going to make sure that after this day you will never be able to hurt anyone ever again."

Deoxys would have smirked if it had had a mouth. _Then let us end this._

It shot forward, Hunter meeting it halfway.

***Advent Children version of "One Winged Angel" starts to play* Seriously. That's the song I had in mind when I started writing the fight scene between Hunter and Deoxys. I came up with a lot of ideas for this chapter, two of them being Scyther evolving and smacking Deoxys around a little before being beaten, and Scyther dying. As you can see, I went with neither. There's only two more chapters left, I think. R and R!**


	17. Chapter 17

Both met each other in midair, colliding so hard that sparks flew from the point of impact. They parted, then attacked again, and again, repeating the process repeatedly, almost faster than the eye could follow. The only things that were visible were two blurs that came together again and again, sparks flying with each collision.

Finally, they broke apart, then came together again. This time it was a flurry of strikes, Hunter's fists and feet flying forward with the power of Aura behind them as Deoxys matched him move for move. Thunder crashed overhead and it began to rain as the two broke apart again. Lightning tore the sky apart as they shot into the air again, fighting one another with all their strength, the impact of fists and feet occasionally broken by an avoided blast of energy that tore a hole in some building.

They broke apart again, flying around in a circle before colliding explosively once again. Blast after blast of energy passed between them as they broke apart again to dogfight in the air, Hunter held aloft with Aura while Deoxys tried to weave its way around him. Psychobursts met Aura Spheres in the air, multicolored explosions filling the space between them, flashing through the rain. Deoxys managed to break through an explosion and hit Hunter with enough force to send him through the wall of a building. The boy shot back out immediately and returned the favor, sending Deoxys crashing through the front door of the museum. As the massive wooden doors fell, Hunter landed on the steps and walked inside.

Out on the boats outside Alto Mare, the citizens watched the battle, awestruck and confused at the same time. Hunter's friends watched the battle as well, waiting anxiously for any sign that Hunter was winning.

Hunter walked into the building, ready to fight on a moment's notice. Deoxys suddenly smashed through a bookcase, colliding with Hunter and bearing him through several others before backing off. Hunter rose slowly, then molded Aura around his hands into a pair of swords. He ran forward, and he and Deoxys fought again, flying and jumping around the museum, colliding again and again. Hunter managed to strike Deoxys, sending it smashing through one of the stained glass windows. Hunter again landed on the hole in the frame, looking out into the pouring rain for any sign of Deoxys.

He got it quickly. Deoxys shot out of the darkness and smashed into Hunter, sending him flying into the DMA. Bouncing off of the metal skin, Hunter fell to the floor but quickly rose. He looked up to see Deoxys flying towards him and backflipped away, causing Deoxys to smash into the floor. It quickly recovered, flying at him again, Hunter blocked its attack, though Deoxys managed to push him across the tile floor and out into the square, until Hunter finally managed to blast it backwards with a pulse of Aura. He then shot forward, one fist striking Deoxys in the face. Deoxys spun backwards then fired a Psychoburst at Hunter. He knocked it aside, then fired an Aura Sphere that Deoxys dodged before flying at him again.

The flurries of attacks began again. Blurs connected in midair, both combatants landing devastating hits but neither showing any signs of wearing down. Hunter took a punch to the stomach as one of his feet struck Deoxys in the head. Both flew apart, landing a short distance away from each other. Breathing heavily, Hunter narrowed his eyes and held his hands out. Two Aura Spheres shot from them, flying towards Deoxys. It took off into the air, though Hunter moved his hands after it. His missiles shot after Deoxys, staying on its tail and closing the gap all the while. After a short chase, Hunter brought one sphere in front of Deoxys. It pulled up short and was caught between the spheres. A large blue explosion lit the sky above Alto Mare. Hunter dove into it, launching a spinning kick that Deoxys blocked. It then wrapped its tentacles around his foot and threw him with great force, hurling him into the canal. As Hunter hit the water with a large splash, Deoxys charged a Psychoburst and threw it at the water. Hunter got out as the attack hit where he'd gone down, then flew back at Deoxys. The blow that connected with Deoxys sent it spinning into a building. Hunter again followed it in, though this time Deoxys came right at him. They fought among the support beams, hard blows connecting and causing them to crash through pillars.

Hunter launched a series of blows that ended with a powerful Aura-assisted punch. Deoxys blocked the strike, holding it there as it looked into his eyes. _You can't win, boy,_ it said. _I cannot be beaten!_

"We'll see about that." Hunter growled before opening his hand and firing a pulse of Aura through it that sent Deoxys flying through several walls before emerging out into the open air again. Hunter jumped up and after it, only to be hit across the face by one of Deoxys's tentacles. It followed him down, slamming him into the pavement before Hunter was able to put his feet under it and push it off. He leapt to his feet and charged it, throwing punch after punch at Deoxys. He briefly managed to drive it back with a fierce assault, though Deoxys managed to catch his arms and throw him through a door. It followed him in, only to get blasted back out by an Aura Sphere.

It then flew high into the air, switching to Speed Form. As it flew downwards, Hunter conjured needles filled with Aura and fired them at Deoxys. They all connected, and Hunter released the Aura held within them. Deoxys disappeared into a massive explosion, then shot back out, barely leaving Hunter with enough time to dodge. As he backflipped, Deoxys pulled up, hitting Hunter in the chest and sending him flying across the plaza. Hunter managed to slide to a stop, then send a tendril of Aura towards Deoxys. It took cover behind a stone pillar but flew back out again as the tendril sliced directly through the stone.

Deoxys flew out of cover, flying towards Hunter as fast as it could.

Hunter again met it in midair, the two bouncing off one another and landing on opposite buildings.

They both then met again, only this time Deoxys grabbed Hunter and then tossed him higher into the air before landing a rapid-fire series of blows to him, then kicking him hard enough to send him smashing through a window, an armoire, and a wall, coming to a stop lying against a second wall in a hallway. Hunter managed to get up, breathing heavily as blood trickled from his mouth. Deoxys's hard carapace was cracked in several places, and its eyes were filled with anger. Hunter shot out of the hole he'd formed in the building, holding his hand right in front of Deoxys's face. The Aura Sphere in the hand fired, blowing Deoxys into the pavement. Hunter hung there, then charged a blast of Aura in his hands that he released as Deoxys got up.

Deoxys disappeared as the beam of energy hit it and caused a huge explosion, but then blasted out of the smoke, towards Hunter. They collided in midair, Hunter being thrown backwards as Deoxys drove at him again and again. Hunter fired a pulse of Aura at Deoxys as it came at him for a third time. The blast threw Deoxys backwards for a distance before Hunter hit it with an augmented kick, throwing Deoxys through a row of buildings. Deoxys rose into the air again, then flew at Hunter again. In answer the boy conjured knives of Aura on cables of the same, then flung them at Deoxys. Deoxys skillfully avoided the attack, then fired a Psychoburst at Hunter. The boy swept an arm across him, conjuring a barrier of Aura that blocked the attack and obscured him in the explosion. Hunter shot out of the smoke cloud, hitting Deoxys and sending it smashing through a small bridge. Deoxys bounced on the water for a short distance before crashing into the canal.

Hunter landed on one of the remaining pieces of bridge, watching the water for any sign of Deoxys.

He was breathing heavily. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. He retreated, flying back to the plaza and landing on the ground there.

Deoxys eventually found its way out of the canal, landing a short distance away from him. Its eyes were narrowed. _Enough of these games. I will finish this now!_

It shot forward, Hunter meeting it halfway. They came together again and again, an unceasing shower of sparks bathing the square in golden light as they collided repeatedly, both merely blurs illuminated occasionally by flashes of lightning. Thunder rumbled and the rain increased, lightning tearing across the sky as the battle raged.

Hunter hit Deoxys, who in turn flew back and wrapped its tentacles around Hunter. It flew high into the air, though Hunter was able to break free and blast it backwards with a pulse of Aura. Deoxys was sent spinning backwards, though came back swiftly and managed to again wrap its arms around Hunter. The boy however, broke free again and they collided again repeatedly, sending sparks falling towards the city. Hunter and Deoxys eventually found themselves in a deadlock, an Aura Sphere pressing against a Psychoburst. As the attacks burst, Deoxys managed to get a good grip on Hunter. It flew him even higher into the air, then shot towards the ground. As they fell, Hunter began to absorb Aura from the environment around him. It filled him, until he was a balloon ready to burst.

Deoxys approached the ground ever faster as it sensed it was close to victory. As it was about to hit the ground, Hunter closed his eyes.

_Goodbye, Taren,_ he thought. _I love you. Take care._

He released the energy.

**The fight was originally a lot shorter than this, more like a DBZ-style beam push thing between a Psychoburst and an Aura Sphere. I expanded it a bit, so I hope you like the fight. R and R!**


	18. Chapter 18

Hunter's friends were still watching the battle. They had seen bright flashes that weren't lightning coming from all over the city, but nobody could clearly make out who was winning. Latios had woken, as had most of the other Pokémon. Scyther was slipping in and out of consciousness, but would live. They had bound its wounds, along with all of the other injuries the others had sustained during the battle with Deoxys.

They eventually all saw the massive blue explosion that lit the center of Alto Mare with a ghostly light before dissipating.

As it faded, Taren groaned and began to move. His eyes finally opened and he looked around as the others crowded around him.

_Dad…_he muttered. _Where's Dad?_

Latias gently turned his head towards the city. Taren's eyes widened. _No. He's still there?!_

He got up, but Latios flew into his path, making a series of noises that clearly said _Stay here._

_But he needs me!_ Taren yelled.

Mara came up behind him and put a paw on his shoulder. _Taren, he wanted you to live. If Deoxys isn't gone, then everything he did will be for nothing. Do you want to make his sacrifice useless?_

Taren gently took her paw off of his shoulder and put one paw on the railing. Maylene and Riley's Lucarios grabbed his arms and pulled him away from the edge. Taren struggled against them, straining to break free. _Let me go!_ he cried. _Dad needs my help! Let me GO!_

He suddenly stopped struggling and gasped, along with the other Lucarios on board. Riley looked at the city as well.

It felt as if the world's Aura had just dropped by a significant amount.

_Dad!_ Taren yelled, jumping off of the boat and running so fast that he never sank below the waves.

"ExtremeSpeed," Riley muttered.

"Who cares?" Bianca asked. "Grandpa, turn around!"

Lorenzo spun the boat, turning it back towards Alto Mare.

Mewtwo looked at them all. _Are you sure this is safe? What if Deoxys isn't dead?_

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Riley said.

Mewtwo nodded. Shaymin, who was also awake, got on the railing, looking at the city. It was worried.

They all were.

Taren reached the plaza first. He stopped for a moment, staring at what he saw.

The plaza was a wreck. The tables and chairs that had once been used by friends and lovers as meeting places were now either damaged, blown over, or completely destroyed. Chunks of destroyed masonry littered the ground, all radiating out from a massive crater in the center of the square.

Taren ran over to it, ignoring Deoxys's lifeless carcass as he passed it by. When he finally got to the edge of the crater, he nearly lost it at what he saw.

Hunter lay in the center of the crater. His eyes were closed. He was bruised, cut, bleeding, and burned.

Taren slid down into the crater, running to his surrogate father's body and hugging it close to him.

_No…_ he whispered to himself. _No…Dad, no…You can't be dead…We need you…please…wake up…_

The others finally came to the crater. Maylene and Bianca stopped, horrorstruck at what they were seeing. Hunter's team was no better. They all swarmed into the crater, gathering around their fallen trainer as Taren cradled him in his arms.

_No! _Taren sobbed as tears streamed down his face. _Dad! We could have beaten it together! YOU _IDIOT! he screamed. _YOU _STUPID FOOL!

Mara came down into the crater with Lucar. Both came and embraced Taren, all three united in their grief.

Umbreon gently nudged Hunter's hand, waiting for it to move and give it a scratch behind the ears. Raichu nudged Hunter, wanting him to move. The others were shocked as well. Their trainer always survived. He always won. What was wrong?

Shaymin, Latios, and Latias flew down into the crater as well. Latias had tears in her eyes. Shaymin landed on Hunter's chest, staring at the boy's face in shock.

_No…_ it whispered. _I came all this way…_

Latios flew over to Shaymin and licked the Gratitude Pokémon's cheek reassuringly, folding the skin and at the same time turning Shaymin's head almost completely sideways, nearly knocking it from its perch.

Shaymin looked up at Latios and nodded. _Thanks._

Latios nodded back, then went to comfort his sister.

After mourning for what felt like an eternity, the others gradually drifted away, each going to be alone in their grief.

Maylene was crying into her Lucario's shoulder. Bianca was doing the same with Lorenzo.

After a while, only Taren was left, clinging to Hunter's body like a leech.

_Why, Dad?_ he asked. _Why couldn't I have helped?_

He buried his head in Hunter's chest, but almost didn't hear the whispered words, spoken so softly that he almost missed them.

"Because you're my son. And I need you more than you need me."

Taren looked up, finding that he was looking into the brown eyes of his father.

Taren's eyes widened in proportion to his mouth as his anguished expression turned into an almost manic grin.

"Ow! Ow! Injured! Air! Breathe! Leggo!" Hunter gasped as Taren grabbed him in a vise-like hug.

Taren nuzzled his father. _I thought you were dead, Dad!_

"I thought so too, Taren," Hunter said.

He looked at his son. "Now, do you think you can help me up?"

Taren nodded, tears of happiness finding their way into his eyes.

With Taren supporting him, Hunter came up over the lip of the crater, coming up behind his friends, who all had their backs turned.

He spoke, loud enough for all of them to hear him. "I thought you'd all be happier to see me than this!"

The crying stopped immediately, and everyone turned. Sadness turned to unbound joy and Hunter was immediately tackled by his team.

The boy was reduced to a giggling wreck as he was frenziedly licked by his Pokémon, who were overcome at seeing him alive.

"Okay! Okay, get off me! Come on! Stop it! Hahahahahaha!" he yelled, still laughing as his team happily covered his face in saliva.

Typhlosion let its tongue drag up his cheek and Charizard gave him a lick from chin to forehead before they all let him up. Hunter laughed again, not bothering to wipe his face. He grinned at the others. "It's a long story."

"We've got time," Maylene said, laughing in relief.

**There was originally supposed to be another chapter before this, but I cut it out. R and R!**


	19. Chapter 19

That night, as everyone was asleep downstairs, Hunter came up to the roof, staring up at the night sky.

_Now I can finally be at peace,_ he thought to himself.

_Are you happy?_ asked a voice.

Hunter turned and smiled. "Hey, Lucario."

_Arceus told me to check up on you. Make sure that it hadn't made a mistake in giving you your life back._

"It would have been a poor reward for saving the world."

Lucario laughed. _True. You told them, then?_

"They weren't skeptical. They would have accepted anything I told them."

_You survived what should have been a fatal action. I would have been surprised if they'd thought you were lying._

"Luckily, they didn't."

Lucario smiled as he came to sit down beside Hunter, looking up at the moon. _Buizel misses you already._

Hunter smiled. "It was good to see it again. I really miss it a lot."

Lucario nodded. _It's only natural. But thank you for beating Deoxys. Arceus paid its debt to you by restoring your life, but the world owes you a debt it can never repay._

"No city but Alto Mare even knows anything about it."

Lucario smiled. _True. What will you do now?_

"I don't know. Probably live out a quiet life here."

_That sounds boring._

"Aside from helping Taren teach Lucar about Aura."

_That doesn't sound as boring._

"Maybe try and find a girl."

_That definitely-_

"Shut up!" Hunter said, giving his teacher a playful shove.

Lucario gave a loud, barking laugh, then got up. _I'll see you around, Hunter._

"One more thing, before you go," Hunter said. He got up and then threw his arms around Lucario.

"I miss you, too." he whispered. "I miss you so damn much…"

Visibly thrown, Lucario smiled and patted his student on the back. _I know. I miss you too._

He disappeared. Hunter smiled and went back downstairs.

The next morning, Hunter and his family and team stood on the docks. Riley and Maylene were both leaving Alto Mare, Maylene to go back to Veilstone and Riley to continue his travels. Shaymin and Mewtwo had already left, Shaymin after many tears and goodbyes, and Mewtwo in the middle of the night with nothing but a message thanking Hunter for saving his life as note of his departure.

Maylene smiled at Hunter as Riley, finished with saying goodbye, got into the boat. "Well, this was quite the eventful visit."

Hunter laughed. "Yeah. Probably the only time you'll get to be on vacation soon."

"Maybe I could take others, and you could run the gym for me. I bet you'd put off a lot of trainers."

"Depends. They'll have to put forth a lot of effort. And the change in type may throw them."

"Don't worry. Reggie's got some Fighting-type Pokémon you could use."

"I'll be sure to remember that when I come to visit."

Maylene looked at everyone else. "It would never have worked out anyway."

"Long distance relationships never do. And let's face it," Hunter said, spreading his arms. "I'm just too weird for a down-to-earth girl like you."

Maylene laughed. "I'll see you around then, I guess."

She made like she was going to go towards the boat, then spun back around and pulled Hunter's face towards hers. The kiss was the perfect length. Maylene's lips were indescribably soft, Hunter's mouth warm and firm. Hunter wrapped his arms around Maylene, reciprocating with all the passion he could muster.

When they finally broke apart, Maylene smiled at him again. "You'll come around to visit?"

"Yeah." Hunter replied, still in a sort of shock. "I will."

She smiled a final time and got onto the boat. Riley looked at her before waving at Hunter. He waved back and then turned to the others. "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

**Gah! Love triangle! I originally was going to have him with Maylene, but I realized that in order to meet Latios and Latias, he'd have to meet Bianca and Lorenzo. This might not have turned out the way some of you expected, but I'm happy with it. R and R! I'll post the epilogue too just to finish this up.**


	20. Chapter 20

The mountain was quiet that day. In a glade in the hollow center, a young man stepped out of a cave, followed by three Lucarios, two male, one female. The man walked up to the marble slab by the glade's small pond. He sighed and put his hand on the dome of Aura that surrounded his teacher's body.

Ten years. It had been that long since Hunter had first met Lucario.

Taren walked up beside Hunter and looked at his real father's body. _That's him?_

Hunter nodded. "Yeah. Time can't reach him in there. I'm sorry it took me this long to take you here, Taren."

_It's okay, Dad. It was worth the wait._

Hunter smiled and ruffled Taren's ears. "I'm doing what he wanted. Teaching the next generation of Aura users."

_Can I…touch it?_

"Yeah. You deserve to."

Taren slowly walked forward slowly, stopping just short of the dome. He gently placed a paw on the barrier, closing his eyes. _My real dad…I'm sorry I never got to know you when you were alive. But if you made Hunter what he is today, you were a father to us both. Sleep well._

He opened his eyes and stood there for a while longer. After a while he turned, tears glistening in his eyes. Hunter walked over and hugged his son, smiling. "You've grown up so much. He's proud of you."

_I hope so, Dad._ Taren whispered, burying his head in Hunter's chest.

They stood like that for a while until Lucar spoke up.

_Uncle Hunter?_ Lucar said from behind them. _It's getting late. Aunt Bianca will be waiting and you know she doesn't like to wait._

Hunter smiled. "Okay, okay. We're going."

They left the glade, though as Hunter entered the cave, he could see Lucario standing beside the dome, giving him a thumbs-up.

Hunter returned the gesture, grinning.

As he, Taren and his family, and Bianca, her stomach noticeably swollen, rode the train back to where they would return to Johto, he laid his head back and smiled.

_Thank you, Lucario._ he thought. _I wouldn't have done all of this without you. I never would have met all of the friends I've made. Never would have done the things I've done. _

He smiled again and took Bianca's hand, kissing his wife softly on the lips as the train continued its route, taking them all home.

The End

**So it's finally done. I really enjoyed working on this. Nothing else has quite the same flair that this series did. I know I can write a whole bunch of other stories, but I'll remember writing these for a long time. I hope you all have enjoyed the series and are going to miss it just as much as I am. So for the last time on this series...Read and Review.**

**_It started out as a feeling,  
Which then grew into a hope.  
Which then turned into a quiet thought  
Which then turned into a word._**

**_And then that word grew louder and louder,  
Til it was a battle cry,_**

**_I'll come back,  
when you call me,  
No need to say goodbye._**

**_Just because everything's changing,  
Doesn't mean it's never  
Been this way before._**

**_All you can do is try to know,  
who your friends are,  
As you head off to the war._**

**_Pick a star on the dark horizon,  
And follow the light,_**

**_You'll come back,  
When it's over,  
No need to say goodbye._**

**_You'll come back,  
When it's over,  
No need to say goodbye._**

**_Now we're back to the beginning,  
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet.  
But just because they can't feel it too  
Doesn't mean that you have to forget._**

**_Let your memories grow stronger and stronger,  
Til they're before your eyes,_**

**_You'll come back,  
When they call you,  
No need to say goodbye._**

**_You'll come back,  
When they call you,  
No need to say goodbye..._**


End file.
